5 Things Your Mouth Can Reveal About Your Overall Health

5 Things Your Mouth Can Reveal About Your Overall Health

When you visit your Rouse Hill Dentist, don’t think of it as simply having your teeth checked, consider it an overall health checkup, too! For instance, there are certain medications that can cause dry mouth or increase your chances of having gum disease. What’s more, if you have a poor oral health it can be a sign of a weakened immune system which leaves your body susceptible to illnesses and infections.

Since your dental practitioner is trained in spotting oral problems, if they see any, they’ll be able to troubleshoot if the symptoms are from a mouth-body connection or not. With that said, here are five things you can learn about your overall health just by looking at your mouth.

Diabetes Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy.

Dry mouth, inflamed gums, gum disease, mouth infections, and problems with tasting food can be signs of diabetes.

Sleep apnoea Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea. The main types of sleep apnea are: Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax.

If you snore a lot there can be a good chance you have sleep apnoea and airway problems. Signs can also include teeth grinding, gum disease, dry mouth, and sore throats.

Pregnancy Pregnancy can lead to dental problems in some women, including gum disease and tooth decay. During pregnancy, hormones affect gums and teeth.

Brushing teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and visiting your dentist will help keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible during pregnancy.

Due to changes in your hormones, gingivitis, bleeding gums, and ‘pregnancy tumors’ (which are actually benign and grow in-between teeth) can be the result of pregnancy.

Dietary Issues A bidirectional relationship exists between oral health and diet and nutrition. Diet and nutrition affect the health of the tissues in the mouth; and the health of the mouth affects nutrients consumed. The consumption of sugars has been associated with an increased risk of developing dental caries.

Weak teeth can signal vitamin D and calcium deficiencies, while gum disease and mouth infections can be due to not having enough vitamin C. What’s more, inflamed gums can mean you need more magnesium, Vitamin B and K2 in your diet.

Heart disease Gum disease (periodontitis) is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease. Poor dental health increases the risk of a bacterial infection in the blood stream, which can affect the heart valves. Oral health may be particularly important if you have artificial heart valves.

Serious gum disease has the potential to spread bacteria via the blood stream, which could possibly lead to heart disease and aspiration pneumonia. Bleeding gums is not ‘normal’ because it is a sign your immune system is out of balance and your body is fighting infections.