FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- While hiking along a mountain trail in California's Mammoth Lakes, Richard Stiehm has been known to stop and floss his teeth.
"I stepped aside on the trail," Stiehm says, readily admitting he is zealous about his oral hygiene. The trail flossing, he explains, occurred right after lunch. And if there's anything he can't stand, it's skipping his oral hygiene routine after a meal.
Stiehm, a pediatrics professor at University of California's David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles, is a dream to dentists and dental hygienists, who have been nagging the Americans for years to take better care of their mouths.
Despite those not-so-gentle reminders, about 75 percent of American adults have some form of gum disease, which is the primary tooth-robber in adulthood, according to the American Dental Hygienists' Association. The association hopes that more Americans will brush up their oral health habits during October, which is National Dental Hygiene Month.
Some of the 75 percent with gum disease just are in the early stages, with inflamed gums, but if they don't escalate their oral hygiene, the disease will progress, hygienists warn. Unchecked, gum disease can involve bleeding gums, loss of the supporting bone under the teeth and loose teeth.
But those aren't the only risks. In recent years, gum disease has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Pregnant women with gum disease are at greater risk of giving birth to a low-birth weight babies, who tend to have more health problems than heavier infants.
Stiehm is a living example of how to take care of your oral health. Not surprisingly, his mouth is in tip-top shape.
He brushes about six times a day -- before his morning run, after it, after meals and before bed. "I like the feeling," he says of his always-fresh mouth. He uses an electric toothbrush.
He flosses even more than the daily treatment most experts advise. He gets out the floss -- waxed, mint flavor is his favorite -- after each meal.
Every four months, he checks in with his dentist. "He says my gums look terrific," Stiehm says.
Stiehm says he has always taken good care of his mouth, but in the last five years or so has stepped up his efforts.
In addition to a fresh mouth, healthy gums and a bright smile, Stiehm gets an even better reward for all that work:
He's 70, and he still has all his own teeth.
More information
For instructions on how to brush, visit the American Dental Hygienists' Association. For flossing tips, check here.
