The dentist will make sure that your oral health is at its optimum level. However, your dentist may also find out other diseases or health problems that your body surprisingly have.
Dentists look at all the different kinds of soft tissues in the mouth. This examination helps dentists determine if you have diseases like cancer, diabetes or Crohn disease, which is a certain type of inflammatory bowel disease.
Here are the common diseases that your dentist can detect before your doctor does:
- Crohn Disease. This inflammatory bowel syndrome may lead to abdominal problems such as diarrhea and cramps. If your dentist finds out you have this disease, it is best to visit your regular doctor right away.
- Diabetes. Dentists will know that you have diabetes if you have wiggly teeth, dry mouth, dry gums, receding gums, and bleeding gums. If you have these in your mouth even if you are hygienic, then you probably have diabetes.
- Oral Cancer. This is the sixth most common cancer in the US. Dentists will know you have this if your tongue, your soft palate tissue, or the floor of your moth has white and red lesions.
- Anemia. Dentist will suspect Anemia if the lining of your mouth is significantly pale or has a light pink colour.
- Gastrointestinal reflux disease. More commonly known as GERD, this disease shows itself as lesions in the back portion of the mouth. It also brings heart burn. Experts advice getting proton-pump inhibitors like Prevacid and Nexium to reduce acid production.
- Intense Stress. Your dentist will know if your stress is affecting you too much when he or she sees chips on your pearly whites due to grinding, a condition called bruxism.
When your dentist diagnose you with any of these diseases, it is best to consult your doctor right away.
