The NobleDentist Blog

This is a report that appeared recently on WTVF - Nashville,TN,USA.

Your mouth could be the key to diagnosing a whole host of ailments you may not even know you have.

If you think dentists just check for cavities, think again. A dentist can also diagnose and possibly help cure a long list of medical problems.

Leeda Allen’s dentist saw holes in her teeth and figured out she had acid reflux, before she even knew there was a problem.

“I was shocked. I wouldn’t have thought my stomach would have had such an effect,” Allen said.

Turns out, dentists can do a lot more than check your teeth.

“This is about more than a cleaning. We’re kind of like detectives or like sleuths,” said Joseph Kravitz, DDS, MS, prosthodontist with Washington Center for Image Dentistry in Bethesda, Md.

Tooth erosion and a burning or sour taste are symptoms of reflux disease. Type-two diabetes often results in bright red, bleeding gums and bad breath. An ammonia smell in the mouth is a sign of kidney disease. Accelerated tooth loss can be a sign of osteoporosis. And white spots on the gums are a symptom of oral cancer.

“Oral cancer is probably the number one thing we find on patients. It’s easy to find,” Kravitz said.

Inflamed gums, excess cavities and oral infections can be a sign of heart disease. Fiery red gums and wounds that won’t heal are a sign of leukemia, and tooth erosion can indicate bulimia.

“You notice the upper back of the front teeth are thin and eroded and more yellow because the healthy white enamel color is gone,” Kravitz said.

It could be sleep apnea if a patient’s tongue blocks his or her airway when they’re tipped back in the chair, and a woman might be pregnant if blowing air on gums makes them bleed.

“At least 10 times, they didn’t know they were pregnant before they came to see me,” Kravitz said.

And that’s 10 reasons why the 40 percent of patients who don’t get regular dental check ups should.

Studies have linked periodontal disease to hardened arteries. Researchers believe the presence of the bacteria that causes dental plaque buildup can have a negative effect on your cardiovascular health. Dentists recommend you get checkups twice a year – except when pregnant, you should go four times a year. Pregnant women are more susceptible to disease.

Kravitz’s own wife lost two teeth while pregnant!