Image courtesy of adamr FreeDigitalPhotos.net
There is a huge disconnect between your mouth and the rest of your body. People don’t realize that not caring for your mouth will have systemic effects. Poor oral hygiene has been linked to everything from pre-term, low birth weight babies, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Oral Cancer
How often do you go to your family doctor and have them look in your mouth? Yeah, thought so. Seeing a dentist or hygienst regularly is the only way to ensure you’re having a good oral exam. Though not the highlight of my career, I’ve referred three patients to an oral pathologist for cases I thought were oral cancer. I’m sad to say I was right all three times. Only one of the three was a smoker too. One was an older lady who mentioned she had a cold core that just wouldn’t heal, though I can see how she thought it may be a cold sore, I was sure she needed a second opinion. All her gardening in the hot sun without protection was likely the cause. The third was an older lady from Greece whose son did all the translating. When he mentioned she was having trouble swallowing, I pressed the issue and did an introral and extraoral exam, something didn’t feel right to me and it turns out she had a large tumor around her voicebox.
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease can range from gingivitis to sever disease (teeth falling out). I see it all. I have had patients with disease so bad their teeth have literally fallen out in my office doing an exam. It amazes me the pain people will go through before seeking professional help. If you’re at the stage of teeth starting to become mobile, your attachment tissues and bone have been affected. If you have an infection that sever in your mouth it will get into your blood stream…all blood pumps through your heart. Is this risk worth it?!
If you went to the bathroom and washed your hands in routine fashion and they bleed you would probably freak out, right? So why do so many people think bleeding gums from routine brushing and flossing is normal? Blood=problem.
I’m keeping it real here and 99.99999% of the population, me included, has a few trouble areas in their mouth and routine flossing or brushing may get a bit of bleeding. Bacteria sneaks its way into tiny nooks that get missed sometimes, we’re human. But if you’re getting bleeding every time you brush or floss, it’s an indication that there’s something going on or you’re doing it incorrectly. Most of the time bleeding is an indicator that the patient needs to change their technique and do it MORE often. Bleeding doesn’t mean stop.
Dentures Shouldn’t Be An Option
I hate hearing that people don’t care about their teeth because they will always have dentures as an option. No matter how much you may hate your teeth, YOUR teeth are always better than dentures. Ask anyone who wears them. They’re a pain in the ass. They need to be fit and adjusted often, can get infected underneath if not cared for properly, in the case of full dentures you loose so much of your ability to taste your food. Ask anyone who is in dentures if they would rather their real teeth and I’m sure they will all agree they would rather have natural teeth no matter how they may look.
Restorative dentistry has come a long way there are options beyond dentures for replacing missing teeth. Depending on how deep your pockets are you could get implants but when we’re talking about $3500-5000 per tooth not many people can afford a whole mouth!
Nothing is as good as you’re God given teeth. Take care of them and they should last a lifetime. It’s not rocket science. Eat well, brush and floss regularly and have regular dental exams and cleanings. If something isn’t working for you ask for help! If it’s something I can help with via e-mail I’d be glad to but you should see a dental professional regularly.
Do you have any crazy dental stories?
If you’ve missed my past posts, be sure to check them out:
- Do You Really Need Dental Insurance?
- Stop Wasting Your Money On Whitening Toothpaste!
- A Closer Look at Electric Toothbrushes
- Oral Health Month: The First Dental Visit
The post Oral Care: More Than Just Teeth appeared first on Plunged in Debt.