Oral Health & General Health – interlinking
Digestion begins in Oral cavity. Carbohydrates get digested in Oral cavity with the help of enzymes present in saliva.
Oral cavity is just below the maxillary sinus. Sometimes long canine root apex is just touches it.
Oropharyngeal passage is common pathway for food & air.
Whole body developed from branchial arches & every organ is developed from group of tissue & tissues are made up of group of similar cells. In short everything in our body is interlinked & having a very delicate balance.
So in many diseases we can see the oral findings
For example
In Diabetes – Acetone breath is common finding with severe periodontal tissue destruction. Loosening of teeth.
Source- Oral health and diabetes - the important link - here
Many diseases show the Oral manifestation
Vitamin deficiency
Scurvy(Vitamin C deficiency) related to the periodontal tissue destruction, Vitamin D deficiency shows delayed tooth eruption.
Blood dyscrasias, metabolic disorders like protein energy malnutrition also shows the oral manifestation.
Following video is just a collection of such diseases & their oral implications- (please pause the video for reading the details.) here
Following things your teeth can say about your health & what to do when you find these symptoms-
Source- here
· Flat, worn teeth
· Cracking, Crumbling Teeth
· Sores
· Hypertrophy of gingival (Gums Growing Over Teeth )
· Dry Mouth
· White Webbing Inside Cheeks
· Crusting Dentures
1)Flat, Worn Teeth, Headache shows that you are under big time stress, because bruxism -Crunching and grinding the teeth- at night during sleep is a common sign of emotional or psychological stress. the jaw may ache from the clenching.
Mouth guards used at night can relieve the symptoms and protect teeth. You can advice muscle relaxant But your stress is basic cause removing your stress will eliminate all problems
2) Cracking, Crumbling Teeth shows that Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) - The enamel becomes thin and almost translucent. Disintegrating teeth are usually caused by acid that's coming up from the stomach and dissolving them the term for this is-Perimolysis & The cause: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, also called acid reflux disease). GERD causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus.
Cracking or chipping teeth in a younger person is also a telltale sign of bulimia
eating disorder in which the sufferer causes herself (or himself) to vomit before digesting.
Solving the underlying cause is the only solution. Tooth become sensitive so desensitizing paste is just superficial treatment.
3) Sores That Won't Go Away may be the sign of oral cancer. Many people bite the insides of their mouth as a nervous habit. Others sometimes bite the gum accidentally, creating a sore. Suspicious oral ulcers tend to be raised sores and often have red or white (or red and white) borders. They may lurk underneath the tongue, where they're hard to see. Bleeding and numbness are other signs, but sometimes the only sign is a sore that doesn't seem to go away. A biopsy usually follows a visual check.
4) Gums Growing Over Teeth is a Sign of Medication problems. You are taking a medication for heart disease or seizures or you take drugs to suppress your immune system (such as before a transplant), these drugs are the reason of that unusual gingival hypertrophy. This overgrowth can make that area hard to brush and floss, inviting tooth decay and periodontal disease.
Surgical removal of such overgrowth is not the only treatment but doctor have to adjust the drug dose.
5)dry mouth is sign of sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes. Many things can cause dry mouth, from dehydration and allergies to smoking and new medications. (In fact, hundreds of drugs list dry mouth as a side effect, including those to treat depression and incontinence, muscle relaxants, antianxiety agents, and antihistamines.) But a lack of sufficient saliva is also an early warning of two autoimmune diseases unrelated to medicine use: Sjogren's syndrome and diabetes. Other signs of diabetes include excessive thirst, tingling in the hands and feet, frequent urination, blurred vision, and weight loss. In Sjogren's, the eyes are dry as well as the mouth, but the entire body is affected by the disorder. Because its symptoms mimic other diseases (such as diabetes), people are often misdiagnosed and go several years before being properly diagnosed.
6) White Webbing Inside Cheeks shows lichen planus or white patch leukoplakia or red patch erythroplakia. Another common area where a lichen planus rash may appear is the vagina. Lichen planus often goes away on its own, but sometimes treatment is necessary. The last thing you might expect to discover while brushing your teeth is a skin disease. Sometimes lichen planus is drug induced too.
7)Crusting Dentures- shows aspiration pneumonia- A leading cause of death in older people is aspiration pneumonia, often from inhaling debris around the teeth and dentures, dangerous (even fatal) inflammation. Too often, the problem stems from people in the care of others -- those in nursing homes, for example -- who fail to clean dentures properly. Dentures need to be removed daily from the mouth, cleaned with a special brush, and stored in a cleansing solution.
Oral Manifestation of systemic disease- Here is the original article- Link
Oral manifestation of systemic diseases
98% of American Dentists and 91% of American Doctors Believe There Is Link Between Oral Health and Overall Health… (Source – here)
Our previous articles also highlighted this topic-
Dentist can help to Identify the patient at risk of heart attack part 1 & part 2
Cosmetic Dentistry notes on Oral Health & whole body Relation - here
This all article is just a try to show that oral cavity is a window of entire body health.
So as soon as you find any symptom or oral lesion or oral finding visit your dentist, because that smallest finding may be the early indication of some systemic disease. Regular interval visit to dental office will easily find such findings & further precautionary measures will be take place in time. So without any time wastage visit your nearest dental office.
[ A patient education article to encourage patient to visit dental office]
