Dental Clues About Your Health and the Need for Early Diagnosis
© 2025 Health Realizations, Inc.
Your mouth is a visible part of your body that can provide a great view into overall health. The mouth senses and responds to your environment, while also reflecting signs of health and/or disease deep within your body. Oral health can give your dentist clues and early warning signs of infection and disease, along with providing the means to test for levels of hormones and other substances present within your body.
Saliva, tissue cells and other oral fluids have become some of the most valuable diagnostic tools available to medical professionals. Essentially, when taken care of and examined properly, your mouth can be one of the most valuable and accurate warning systems available.
How Your Mouth Reflects General Health
Studies have proven general health risks associated with several diseases also affect your oral health. For example, an association between tobacco and oral cancer has been included within every Surgeon General’s report on tobacco since 1964. In addition, the link between oral health and nutrition or diet has been highlighted in the Surgeon General’s report on general nutrition since 1988. In response to these associations, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the same school of thought and integrated oral health into their efforts for chronic disease prevention.
In recently conducted research, possible links have been discovered between chronic oral infections and heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, stroke, premature births and low-birth-weight. In fact, scientists had long suspected that periodontal disease and diabetes were related. Within the last decade, advancements in testing saliva and cellular tissue have provided researchers with the means to prove their theories. Given all the data, there is no doubt that your overall health and oral health should not be viewed as two separate entities. Quite simply, you cannot be truly healthy without having good oral health.
Why Regular Dental Exams are Vital
A dentist is able to evaluate not only your teeth and gums, but also your neck, jaw, tongue, salivary glands, tonsils, adenoids, muscles of the face and head and other important areas. During an exam, I look for irregular bumps, lumps, swollen areas, discolorations or ulcerations. When called for, I am also able to perform biopsies, diagnostic testing for infectious disease, salivary function testing and oral cancer screenings.
Dentists are also able to see telltale-warning signs of diseases elsewhere within your body. While you might be able to examine your mouth using a mirror at home, a dentist has a professionally trained eye to spot potential problems and a much better vantage point to evaluate your oral health. As an oral health professional, dentists are able to diagnose and treat a wealth of conditions, and are also prepared to deal with any complications that arise, including those that are potentially life-threatening.
Even with importance placed on professional oral care, research proved that almost 100 million Americans did not see a dental professional throughout the year of 2007. Unfortunately, many people still believe that the only reason to visit a dentist is if they are in pain or something is broken. Due to the lack of preventive oral care, studies show that employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work every year due to emergency dental visits or dental disease. In fact, less than two-thirds of adults report having visited a dentist within the last 12 months.
During the dental exam, I'll look over your teeth, gums and mouth to identify any decay or signs of disease. The goal is to treat any decay, maintain oral health and prevent any potential problems before they become serious. One of the main concerns to check for is gum disease. Signs such as loose teeth, inflamed gum tissue, plaque or the presence of bacteria often indicate gum disease. There may be a buildup of tartar or plaque on the surface of some teeth, so making you aware of these areas and suggesting specific brushing techniques can help.
During the exam, I'm also looking for any signs of decay. If cavities are found, the decayed tooth structure will be removed and a filling placed into the affected area. While cavities are not good news, they may be one of the smaller problems when it comes to preventative oral health.
While everyone is told the importance of brushing and flossing regularly, visiting the dentist twice a year and limiting sugar, not everyone follows those orders. Studies show that by the age of 12, almost 50 percent of those children have cavities. However, a cavity pales in comparison to the problems caused by periodontal disease or oral cancer.
Periodontal Disease Easily Progresses if You Avoid Dental Care
People with periodontal disease experience a chronic bacterial infection of the gum tissue. It eventually ends up destroying the bone and tissues that anchor teeth, which is why periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
Unfortunately, some people are prone to the disease due to genetics. It can also be aggravated by certain medicines, smoking or using tobacco products, stress and other factors. Recent studies have found that periodontal disease is even associated with an increased risk for cardiac arrest. According to Dr. Martin J. Davis, professor of clinical dentistry at the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia, there seems to be a link between the gum inflammation and the inflammatory markers associated with heart disease.
Scientists believe the oral bacteria entering the bloodstream may cause this, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries and causing clots to form. In 2007, a study showed that periodontal disease increased the risk of heart disease in men by one –third. In women, the risk for heart disease doubled, even after controlling for smoking habits. Research also indicates that periodontal disease is associated with the risk for altered diabetic control, stroke, adverse pregnancy problems like pre-eclampsia, low birth weight and preterm birth.
When periodontal disease is prevented or, at least controlled, by reducing inflammation and the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth, it can have a huge impact on the rest of the inflammation in your body.
Oral Cancer: Another Reason to Make a Dental Appointment
Oral cancer strikes more than 30,000 Americans on a yearly basis, 25 percent of which will die from the disease. African-Americans are more often diagnosed with the disease; the incidence rate is 1/3 higher than that of white people and there is a mortality rate that is almost twice as high. Considering that only half of all patients diagnosed with oral cancer survive more than five years, it is great news to hear that the early signs of oral cancer and pre-cancerous areas in your mouth can be identified at your next dental visit. For this reason, it is vital that you visit your dentist twice each year to have a screening. Early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.
Oral cancer often starts out as a tiny red or white spot anywhere within your mouth, lips, gums, cheek, tongue or palate. It most often strikes people who use any kind of tobacco products. You may also experience a change in the way your teeth fit together when you close your mouth. Other signs of oral cancer include a rough spot, a sore that bleeds very easily and does not heal, a change in the color of oral tissue, pain or numbness anywhere in oral cavity or lips, problems swallowing or issues with moving the jaw or tongue. Oral cancer is more prevalent in people over the age of 40 and can occur in people who have no other known risk factors.
With such a high rate of mortality, oral cancer screening has become a routine part of dental exams. I will carefully examine the inside of your mouth and tongue. Sometimes a small, painless, white or red sore may be seen within the mouth during the examination. Although most of these sores are not cancerous, some are. Only testing these sores will determine if they need to be treated. The real danger is that you may have a very small sore or tiny oral spot in your mouth that you are unaware of or unable to see with the naked eye. A quick oral cancer screening is able to detect and test these spots.
You Can Save Your Teeth as You Age by Getting Regular Dental Care Now
Data collected from the National Center for Health Statistics, the American Dental Association and other sources indicate that oral health care continues to improve nationally. For example, during the last ten years, progress in oral health research led to a decrease in the number of most oral diseases and disorders. However, even with these decreases, more than one-third of all tooth surfaces in adults between the ages of 35 to 44 have been affected by decay. In addition, 44 percent of the adult population, ages 75 and up, are missing all of their teeth.
Even though oral conditions like tooth decay, periodontal disease and oral cancer adversely affect all people regardless of their household income, education level, gender, race or ethnic background, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, those who are most impacted by these diseases and disorders are the people who cannot afford access to dental services.
Overall Oral Health Message
Even with all the information about the importance of oral health to overall wellness, to self-esteem, to job performance and relationships, state and federal policy continues to neglect dental care. According to one study, most states spend around 2 percent or even less of their Medicaid budget on dental services.
Only within the last decade has there been an increased amount of research conducted on the possible links between the health of your mouth and the health of your body. One study indicated that people with periodontal disease were 40 percent more likely to be dealing with a chronic disease or disorder on top of it.
One thing that is clear … the overall health of your body and mouth are not two separate issues. It is vital that you make an appointment twice each year, make it a habit to brush and floss on a daily basis and pay attention to your gum tissue. Taking care of your oral health can have lasting impacts on your quality of life.
Click here to make an appointment
Sources
American Dental Association: Dentists: Doctors of Oral Health
The Denver Post
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.;128(3):268-274
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Oral Health in America: A Report From the Surgeon General
Inside Dentistry
New York Times, Oral Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
National Prevention Council 2010, National Prevention Strategy: America's Plan for Better Health and Wellness
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol.;28(4):249-25
