What your dentist can say about your health just by examining your mouth

You may not know it, but a simple dental checkup may reveal more about your health than you realize. For one, dentists not only examine the mouth to look for cavities and gum disease but to also detect the onset of more serious issues like oral cancer and diabetes, explains orthodontics professional Dr. Kami Hoss of the Howard Healthcare Academy. Hereunder are other conditions our dentists can detect while looking at our mouths.
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Anemia: Signs that a patient may have anemia include a tongue that has lost its normal, coarse texture. If it’s too smooth-looking, it may mean the person has anemia. Another tell-tale sign is a pale, light-pink mouth coloration.

Stress: If a person has chipped teeth resulting from the condition called bruxism (in which a person grinds his teeth, often while sleeping), it is a sure sign of stress. Dr. Hoss advises using a custom-made night guard to deal with bruxism. But doing something about undue stress is the beginning place toward recovery.

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Oral cancer: This is a very serious condition with 30,000 new cases reported in America per year. The good news is survival rates are over 80 percent. Dentists can tell possible oral cancer if they find red and white lesions forming on a patient’s tongue, as well as on the palate tissues on the back of the tongue and the floor of the mouth. It’s highly advisable to ask your dentist to do an oral cancer screening while you’re having your regular checkup.

Diabetes: Symptoms of diabetes include a dry mouth, wiggle teeth, and receding, bleeding gums. Though these could be simply due to poor hygiene, your dentist may recommend a blood test to make sure. The bottom line is that diabetes management and oral health are closely linked, adds Dr. Kami Hoss of The Super Dentists.

Dr. Kami Hoss is a sought-after author, consultant, inventor, and speaker in the fields of dentistry and business. Together with his wife, Dr. Nazli Keri, he co-founded and heads The Super Dentists. Visit this blogfor related posts.

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