Section 1-5. Dynamic homeostasis maintenance effects of teeth which are observed in salivary secretion. Teeth hustled!

Please look at Figure 33. Persons with both back teeth characteristic of parasympathetic nerve stimulating features and front teeth such as canine and bicuspid characterized with sympathetic nerve stimulating features show normal secretion amount of saliva (secretion volume) and normal quality of saliva (protein concentrations); however, if both of them are lost, both amount and quality of saliva are decreased down to almost half of the normal levels. What happens if all the back teeth are lost but all canine teeth and bicuspid teeth still remain? The investigation results demonstrated that the secretion amount of saliva was decreased to almost the half due to loss of all the back teeth but the quality of saliva showed higher values than those in persons with all the teeth remaining; as the result, the total amount of protein in saliva was maintained at the same levels in persons with complete set of back teeth and front teeth. In other words, when the saliva amount is decreased by loss of back teeth, functions of front teeth are augmented to compensate such a loss resulting in producing higher protein concentrations. Eventually, there is a possibility that the total protein amount might revert to the similar levels. There is observed a homeostasis maintaining effect, suggesting that this is a timely and exquisite action. In this study, we investigated only the total protein amount but we did not perform any study on time-course changes of enzyme amounts and bio-active materials which were contained therein.
However, as explained in the results of the animal experiments shown in the Section 3 (4) of the previous Chapter, alterations of chewing stimulation by teeth were associated with kinds of proteins which were synthesized within salivary glands. According to these facts, it is anticipated that in parallel with changes of chewing stimulation due to loss of teeth, not only secretion amount of saliva and protein concentrations but also qualitative changes in salivary protein contents occur also in humans to maintain the homeostasis of the vital functions. Teeth work well for such a purpose.
Nevertheless, once canine and bicuspid teeth are finally lost, the said function to maintain homeostasis cannot act for this purpose. The quantity and quality as well as the total amount of proteins are extremely lowered. This response suggests that teeth exhibit not only chewing function as a part of digestive organs but also emission of the internal information. Eventually, they are involved in maintaining homeostasis of highly sophisticated systemic functions such as mutual antagonism or compensation. Really, teeth are proved to be our organs.
Shall we investigate the universality of this “Hazo (Teeth-organ) theory” by studying consistency of the data concerning the autonomic nervous functions of teeth? As shown in Figure 34, when comparative investigations were performed on the salivary protein concentrations between the persons with maxillary canine teeth and submaxillary first bicuspid teeth characteristic of exhibiting sympathetic nerve stimulating effects, and the persons without corresponding teeth, the protein concentrations in saliva in the latter persons were decreased to more than half of those in the former persons.
On the other hand, similar investigations were conducted on influences of these teeth on blood pressures whereby the same autonomic nervous effects as observed in the salivary secretion were evidenced. These facts demonstrate that presence of these teeth contributed to maintenance of higher blood pressure than those in the persons without these teeth. Thus, the investigations on quite independent two systemic factors showed the same outcomes concerning autonomic nerve functions of teeth, and therefore, these results provide obvious evidence indicating that teeth exhibit both the autonomic nervous functions and the organ features.




Figure 33
Homeostasis maintenance effect by salivary secretion functions of teeth
The maxillary first and second molar teeth strongly affect salivary secretion amount while the maxillary canine and submaxillary first bicuspid remarkably provide influences on salivary protein concentration. When all of these four teeth remain, both quantity (secretion amount) and quality (protein concentration) as well as the total protein amount are found normal; however, if some of them are lost, the salivary secretion ability is reduced. Nevertheless, even if maxillary first and second molar teeth are completely lost, presence of intact canine and first bicuspid, as shown in the second frame from the right, is responsible for maintenance of protein concentrations or slightly higher level, together with maintenance of the almost similar level of total protein amount as those in the normal situations. This indicates the homeostasis maintenance function. Incidentally, if teeth are gradually lost reaching removal of both canine and first bicuspid, the homeostasis maintenance function seems collapsed, and the total protein amount is sharply decreased to less than half of the normal level.



Figure 34
Consistency of the salivary secretion of teeth with influences on blood pressure
In this figure, the number of lost teeth [0] denotes that all the teeth remain intact while [4] means lost of teeth by 2 pairs, namely 4 teeth being lost. Maxillary canine and submaxillary first bicuspid tend to exert sympathetic nervous influences. Therefore, in case of 2 pairs , or 4 teeth of them being lost, it is postulated that persisting reduction of sympathetic nerve stimulation occur eventually; in fact, the salivary protein concentration characteristic of being strongly affected by sympathetic nerve is decreased. When persisting reduction of sympathetic nerve stimulation occurs, it is anticipated that blood vessels are shrunk to decrease persistently secretion of catecholamine conducive to increase of blood pressure. In reality, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures are reduced in parallel with loss of these relevant teeth.