Your oral health is more important than you might realize. Your dentist can tell a lot about your overall health from your oral health, and regular cleanings may even give you your first warning that something else is wrong. Your general health can also impact your oral health in some unexpected ways. Regular check ups and cleanings are important to maintaining not only your healthy smile but your overall well-being.

Your mouth gives dentists clues to other health issues like diabetes, oral cancers, heart disease and more. These diseases affect your oral health, and sometimes your dentist is the first to notice the signs so that you can seek other medical treatment to address these diseases. Signs of other health conditions can include swollen or bleeding gums, chronic bad breath, bone loss noted in dental x-rays and chronic jaw pain that is not otherwise explained. Even something as simple as recurrent canker sores inside the mouth can hint at gastro-intestinal or reflux problems.

In addition to detecting other health conditions, those health conditions can have profound effects on your oral health. Impaired immune systems caused by cancer or other immune deficiencies increase your risk of gum disease and oral infections. Periodontal disease has been tied to low birth rates and premature births in pregnant women, and a mother’s oral flora can infect her children’s mouths causing them to have early tooth decay. There are ties between poor oral health and the likelihood of other diseases such as diabetes, various heart conditions, kidney disease and more. Early tooth loss may even be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and may signal osteoporosis.

The ties between oral health and overall health are strong and make good oral healthcare imperative to include in your daily health regimen. Daily brushing and flossing combined with seeing your dentist twice a year can improve your quality of life and may even save your life!

Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475?pg=1

https://www.deltadentalins.com/oral_health/dentists-detect.html

http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/SurgeonGeneral/sgr/chap10.htm