Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1054723 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Review
Excellent. Very informative and entertaining. What a great balance. Readers will thoroughly enjoy it. -- Martha Fischer, Teacher

Mama Gums’ book contains sound practical advice backed by scientific evidence to help preserve oral health in harmony with nature. -- Dr. Russell C. Tontz, Dentist

This book is a must read for every woman. Moreover, it should be in the office of every obstetrician/gynecologist. -- Elinor Ruth Smith, Educational Consultant, Teacher Educator

From the Author
Looking back, I see two childhood experiences influenced my career: receiving a Gilbert chemistry set as a gift when I was eight; and volunteering as a hospital caregiver as a teen. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, either by creating some magic potion to make the world better or by administering such loving care to those who were sick that their lives would be transformed forever. These events foreshadowed my career as a helping professional who has rejoiced in the opportunity to serve others with excellence for more than thirty years.

As a young dental hygienist in the mid 70’s I looked "outside the box" to interpret what I saw. Patients with mouth problems were generally ailing all over. They were tired, lifeless, sometimes depressed. I thought there had to be a connection between the health of the mouth and the body as a whole. In May 2000, the US Surgeon General publicly acknowledged this connection. In his first-ever report on oral health, gum disease was linked to increased risk of diseases like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and ulcers, and to adverse pregnancy outcomes. I knew I had to reach past those limited numbers I could personally teach in my chair, and make my knowledge available to the widest possible audience. And what better place to start than with mothers and their unborn children? In the US alone, more than four million "opportunities" are born each year, allowing me to transform the quality of countless lives.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION

We often take our mouths for granted; yet our mouths are the essence of our humanity. Aside from the obvious, breathing, eating, chewing, and swallowing, our mouths are the way we communicate to the world. We smile at each other, speak gentle words of love, convey our feelings for one another, sigh a breath of relief, cry out in joy or in pain, chew, taste, kiss our beloved, express our sexuality, share from our hearts, and communicate our deepest thoughts with facial expressions.

The mouth is often what impacts a stranger on a first impression. A smile invites, a frown deflects. We see youth and vitality in a set of gleaming, lustrous teeth. There is so much that "speaks" to us when a healthy, fresh smelling, kissable mouth gives us a "hello." There is a wealth of information we see in the mouth even before we hear the utterance of words.

In Chinese medicine, the mouth is an important indicator of the health of the body. The mouth is also a portal of entry to the body and an important structure of survival. If the internal coverings of the mouth, the literal "skin" of our cheeks, gums, tongue etc., are broken or compromised in any way, the mouth becomes a conduit through which bacteria, viruses, and other threatening invaders make their way into the inner sanctuary of the body.

If the mouth itself is the source of these infections, then the risk to the health of the whole body is that much greater. It is naïve to assume one can be healthy when something is wrong with the mouth. In Oral Health in America, the Surgeon General tells us, "Oral health is integral to general health. You cannot be healthy without oral health. Oral health and general health should not be interpreted as separate entities."

Recent studies indicate that as many as four out of five Americans suffer from some form of gum disease. While many have only the early forms such as gingivitis, these relatively mild gum infections often lead to periodontitis, which attacks the tissues and bone that form the very foundation for your teeth.

Periodontal diseases, now known as periodontal infections, put your very teeth squarely at risk. Sufficiently advanced, these bacterial infections will cause teeth to become loose, or even to fall out altogether. In fact, 60% of all lost adult teeth are victims, not of tooth decay, but of these insidious gum infections.

Ask anyone who’s ever had it happen: Tooth loss definitely impacts your quality of life. For example, I once had a patient who was terrified that if she either sneezed or coughed her dentures would be propelled out of her mouth and go flying across the room! Needless to say, that consciousness affected her every social activity. The ravages of these insidious bacterial infections may adversely affect not just your smile, but also your very self-image and self-worth.

Yet this is arguably not the most important part of the story. The Surgeon General’s May 2000 Report was prompted in part by the growing bodies of evidence linking gum disease with a number of life-threatening illnesses including adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Periodontal disease is an infection, and all infections are dangerous to pregnant women because they pose a threat to the health of the baby.

Pregnant women with periodontal disease are seven times more likely to have pre-term, low birth weight babies.

Low birth weight has been related to 60% of infant deaths.

There can be up to a three times greater risk of stroke and heart attack for people with severe periodontal disease.

Mouth bacteria have been found to be responsible for fifty-five percent of cases of infectious edema (swelling from bacterial infection).

By teaching generations of patients the correct techniques, recommending the most effective tools, and expanding oral hygiene to include a campaign of antibacterial "warfare" that will rid the body of infection, I have helped many to keep their teeth, improve their health, and avoid costly and invasive surgeries that other professionals recommended, often after calling their condition "hopeless." The work we are going to do together is based on holistic principles and will teach you a simple, economical, ten-minute-a-day program of self-care that will enable you to enjoy good health for both yourself and your baby.

The body has an inherent ability to make itself well. By removing the microorganisms that cause infection, we create an environment where the body can naturally heal itself. We are going to address the underlying causes of the infections, acknowledge that this is a whole body problem (since the body is affected by all its systems), and then remove obstacles to health and recovery. This is an opportunity to take an active role in your own health. What is available to you is to keep your natural teeth for your lifetime, and to achieve optimum health and wellness for your mouth, your body, and your unborn baby. From there, oral health and well being become available to your children … and their children as well.

Congratulations. You are now on your way …

Customer Reviews

Oral Health and Pregnancy Outcomes
The link between oral health and pregnancy outcomes has become an important focus in the women's health community over the past decade. It is clear that poor oral hygiene and a lack of oral health may contribute to morbidity during the childbearing year. With her book, Pregnancy and Oral Health, Sheila Wolf offers those interested in optimizing their health a valuable tool. This book is accessible, informative and motivating and clearly outlines simple behaviors that will improve one's oral health. As a nurse-midwife serving women throughout their life span, I found this book's content as pertinent to providers of obstetric care as it is to our clients.

Book saved my gums, my teeth, and maybe even my life
Mama Gums and her immensely readable book most certainly saved my gums, my teeth, and maybe even my life. This entertaining book and its essential oral-care techniques are for everyone -- men and women, boys and girls, pregnant and non-pregnant, and especially dental professionals (who need to read it the most).

Sheila's book has all the information your dental professionals should give you but don't. Believe me, I speak from experience! After years of conscientiously soliciting and scrupulously following the "brush, floss, and regular professional cleanings" advice of my general dentist and first periodontist, I was rewarded with war-zone style bleeding gums at every cleaning, deep periodontal pockets, receding gums, and significant bone loss. My first periodontist told me my only alternative was extensive gum surgery. The periodontist whose second opinion I sought wanted to do even more extensive gum surgery. Yikes, yikes, and double yikes! I was paralyzed with fear.

My friend introduced me to Sheila via telephone and loaned me a copy of her warm, witty, and scientifically sound but completely understandable book. I read Sheila's book cover to cover and immediately began following her oral-care regimen. I also ordered several more copies for my friends, my family, and myself.

This week, I had the best dental checkup of my life -- no bleeding, no tartar buildup, significantly reduced periodontal pockets, tight healthy gum tissue, and one very happy camper. Sheila's book and my willingness to follow it made all the difference, taking me from oral-health hell to oral-health heaven in less than six months.

You literally can't live without this book, so buy it, follow it, and enjoy the results. You, too, will thank Mama Gums.

Eye-opening MUST read!
Excellent! This book should be given to all new OB patients in their welcome packet. It sure opened my eyes to the simple way to properly care for my mouth and the horrors that can happen if I don't know how.