Your mouth can reveal a lot about your overall health. Everything you consume has to be chewed down and then swallowed. The mouth, therefore, has bacteria that are stagnant and just waiting for an opportunity to get you sick. In reality, a dentist can tell you a lot about your health instead of just your teeth. There’s a reason why it is recommended to visit a dentist every month. If you cannot afford a dentist as much, you are still recommended to visit him twice a year.
Routine check-ups can reveal some of the most surprising diseases that you thought can never affect you. The tongue, as well as the gums, can show us certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies that you need to take care of as well.
Here are some common medical conditions a dentist can diagnose by simply observing your mouth:
1. Dementia
Dentists have found that dementia is more prone to occur in the elderly if they brush their teeth less than twice a day. Dementia can be a cruel disease which mostly affects your cognitive abilities, rendering you helpless to even do the simplest of tasks. The full focus should be on whether or not your parents, grandparents or even you are brushing your teeth regularly or not.
2. Cardiovascular Problems
Have you noticed any inflamed gums lately? Are your teeth budging in their positions? These two can be a clear sign of a certain heart disease by the name of periodontitis. The bacteria accumulate around your gums and enter into the veins that can lead to the heart causing clots in the arteries, which can prove fatal as it stops the flow of blood and can immediately cause a heart attack in the designated person.
3. Diabetes
Loose teeth and inflamed gums along with constant bleeding around the teeth and gum areas can be a clear sign of diabetes. What’s worse is that the bacteria buildup can not only lead to heart diseases but also cause diabetes to worsen. Keeping your mouth healthy by using mouth wash and regularly brushing your teeth is an absolute priority.
4. Osteoporosis
Sometimes the dentist can suddenly find loose teeth around your entire jaw, and this can also have to do with a disease known as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis does not cause any damage to the teeth but the supporting bones around it, which means that whenever you chew on food, you will feel pain. Don’t be surprised when you bite into something and suddenly find one of your teeth gone.
Bottom Line
Oral hygiene is mandatory if you are to live in modern society as well as keep healthy. What’s more is that a bad oral hygiene is noticeable and not many have the tolerance to look you in the eye when it comes to it. Make sure you take this entire process seriously. Brush your teeth regularly because there is no tooth fairy coming to swap your teeth for money this time.