Dental Care

Health Guides
Dental Route to Disease Depiction
Dental Care

Your smile can reveal more than your teeth. Researches show that 90% of systemic health problems show dentalsymptoms. Diseases such as diabetes, HIV, heart problem, liver disease and even some pregnancy risks can be detected through oral symptoms.

When healthy, our mouth is light pink in colour, has no bad breath, dental cavity or erosion. However, when it is not healthy, it indicates serious health concerns of our body. So, if you have symptoms such as a dry mouth, foul breath, mouth sores, swelling or infection of the gums or an abnormally fast dental decay, these may be the indications of the onset or advancement of more serious ailments than visible dental problems.

Dental symptoms can help in early detection of a disease. Some of the dental symptoms are easy to detect and can be seen in a self-examination in front of a bathroom mirror. Some of the symptoms and diseases they may indicate are listed below:



In addition, there are symptoms that require a dental examination by an expert. Dentists can examine under the tongue and in the areas of the mouth that are difficult to see in a self-examination. Regular visits to your dentist can help you detect a health problem at an early stage, control its spread and increase the chances of its cure.

Awareness about the dental indications of overall health problems has been increasing. At a special joint media briefing by American Dental Association and American Medical Association held in February 2006 titled "Oral and Systemic Health: Exploring the Connection", medical and dental experts discussed the need for greater communication between dentists and physicians to reduce patients’ risks for heart disease and stroke, worsening diabetic control, lung infections and even premature births. This was one of the many steps that are being taken in the direction of better coordination between the dentists and physicians to detect diseases at an early stage and manage them better.

While a healthy mouth does not guarantee overall good health, it can guard against disease and infection causing bacteria, viruses and fungi etc. So, let your smile mirror happiness – and health.