A routine visit to your dentist might help you in the long run to save on medical bills and to live a healthier life style. Medical literature has proven that oral manifestations of a disease appears early before the systemic manifestation. In fact it appears so early that test for some conditions should be repeated.
The oral cavity is the entry point for the digestive system and hence it reflects the condition of our digestive system. Many conditions related to the digestive system like Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, GERD has oral manifestations that appear quite early. Chronic liver diseases, connective tissue disorders, blood related disorders, HIV, Diabetes, Vitamin B12 deficiencies all have oral manifestations. A trained clinician analyses the information he gathers by examining your mouth, and careful review of other symptoms comes to a diagnosis.
Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease. When you have a long standing dental infection or gum disease there are toxins (harmful chemicals) that are released into the blood stream, these toxins are found to trigger the liver to make C-reactive proteins which are a predictor for increased risk of heart disease.
A report by George Taylor, University of Michigan associate professor of dentistry suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month. A study published by The Cochrane Library led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and supported by colleagues at the Peninsula Dental School, the University of Ottawa and UCL Eastman Dental Institute, suggests that the treatment of serious gum (periodontal) disease in diabetics with Type 2 diabetes may lower their blood sugar levels.
According to research published in the Journal of Periodontology. Periodontal disease may increase the risk for respiratory infections, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia. These infections, are caused when bacteria from the upper throat are inhaled into the lower respiratory tract.
In short, be diligent to visit your Dentist once in six months. Get your dental needs fixed as soon as possible. If you have bleeding or swollen gums, recurrent dental infections, ulcerations, white patches in your mouth visit your dentist as soon as possible. Don’t procrastinate. Always in any condition an early diagnosis is critical.
Dr. Desmond John Gomez
Esthetic Dentist and Implant Surgeon
KIMS Bahrain Medical Center
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