Many of us have fled the dentist after our appointment before the office scheduling manager could pencil us in for our next visit in 6 months. The fact is that people skip the dentist regularly and some at all costs. But this can lead to severe oral health issues that can adversely affect your overall health and quality of life.

People don’t generally think of their dentist as a lifesaver. They clean teeth, can fill cavities, and can even replace a missing tooth; but save lives? Really!? We typically think of life-saving doctors as emergency room surgeons, cardiologists, or endocrinologists. But dentists can save your life in a few ways as our oral health is more connected to our overall health than we’ve ever previously thought.

Your Mouth Offers Important Insight into Overall Health

All bodily systems are connected and you must use your mouth to eat, speak, and breathe every day. Nealy 85%+ of systemic disease and illness show some sign in the mouth and saliva. This means it’s important to start thinking of your oral health equally as any other part of the body. Think of it this way, your mouth is an entry point for bacteria and viruses and offers a warm and moist location that bacteria and viruses just love. So whatever is going on in the mouth will enter the bloodstream, be it good or bad.

Poor dental hygiene can lead to an increase in bacteria entering the bloodstream. This in turn creates an immune response and increases inflammation throughout all bodily systems. Not to mention bacteria left unchecked can lead to scarier life-threatening conditions.

Oral Cancers are Spotted Early by Regular Dentist Visits

Your mouth, teeth, and gums are at risk of more than just cavities or bad breath. Many forms of oral and throat cancer often go unnoticed until they are severe when dental visits are skipped. Let’s look at an example (names have been changed for patient privacy).

John visits the dentist for a routine checkup and the dentist notices a discolored lesion and sore in his upper right part of the mouth. The dentist performs a biopsy and sends it off to a lab for testing because it just didn’t look right and was causing John some discomfort. The test results came back malignant and positive for Melanoma. John, through his dentist, caught his cancer early on and started treatment immediately. He recovered fully and thanks his dentist every time he visits for likely saving his life. John also never skips a dentist visit!

From this example, we can see how a small sore in the mouth can be much more than a nagging point of discomfort. 

Other Conditions or Illness Your Dentist Can Detect

Along with cavities, cracked teeth, and discoloration; your dentist and dental hygienist are looking for more severe conditions. They are also able to spot (often time before other doctors):

• Oral Cancer
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Acid-Reflux
• Anemia
• HIV

Some of the symptoms your dentist is looking for only appear in the mouth and can be a sign of disease or chronic conditions. They are looking for:

• Herpes simplex outbreak
• Mouth ulcers and cancer soars
• Dry Mouth
• Red Band Gingivitis
• Certain Sarcomas
• Ulcerative periodontitis
• Oral hairy leukoplakia

All of these can be a sign of some illness or disease that first manifests itself in the mouth, throat, and gums. Only a trained eye who knows what to look for can spot them. 

Your Dentist in Coney Island Offers More than a Fresh Smile

We’ve seen that your mouth can provide all sorts of insights into your overall health. Certain deadly illnesses only develop in the mouth, throat, gums, and tongue; if left unchecked they can lead to severe illness or even death. For this reason, you should be visiting the dentist every 6-months, year in and year out. 

For the #1 Trusted Dentists in Coney Island NY, look no further than ConeyIslandDental.com with more than 40+ years of local expertise. Don’t delay and schedule your appointment today.