Visiting a dental hygienist last week made me think about the value of not only my dentition but the ability to offer a smile wherever I go. It probably comes from the confidence I reap from being responsible for the maintenance of my teeth, but I thought about how important they are in overall health.

Having the ability to chew almost anything I want is such a blessing, one not everyone has and many take for granted. Teeth are part of the life cycle and as such, need to be healthy from childhood throughout life.

Ostomates know the importance of chewing food better than most. Undigested food (many times, food not chewed well) has the potential to cause an obstruction. A month after my ileostomy years ago, I was frightened when I had a partial obstruction that lasted for days and days. My surgeon was concerned enough to order a CT scan of my pelvis. The contrast solution was enough to move along what I realized was undigested mango I had eaten a while before realizing I was becoming blocked. I learned no more mango because regardless of how well I believe I have chewed it is never enough. By its very consistency, it is stringy, as is asparagus, one of my fave veggies. Likewise, celery. Nuts and seeds are always on the AVOID LIST. Yet they tend to be less worrisome because it is intuitive to chew them very, very well.

What can make a food more dangerous is when it is in combination with other foods. An example is multigrain breads with nuts and seeds. Chewing the bread is easy, requiring little thought. And it is truly a healthy and delicious option. But the nuts and seeds still have the potential to cause a blockage. So, care must be taken to treat the nuts and seeds as dangerous, and chew, chew, chew.

Blockages are common for many ileostomates based on our anatomy and motility. However, anyone can be susceptible. I know many people over the years who ate peanuts or raw veggies, without being mindful of chewing well enough and found themselves in extremis.

Please take good care to maintain your pearly whites, and recognize they need to last a lifetime. That is not only for appearance but for good health. Their function becomes ever more important because as our anatomy narrows internally with age, chewing is the key to avoiding a blockage, and that is a most important goal!

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