There is much more to oral health than just maintaining a dazzling smile. The health of your mouth, teeth and gums can actually tell you much about your overall health. Any pain that you might feel inside of your mouth for more than a week may be a reflection of some bigger issue. Here are some diseases that can be manifested by the pain or different problem in your mouth.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
With age, teeth start cracking and crumbling away. Still, such erosion may not always be a sign of the aging process, but a clue for a bigger issue – Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This disease is also called acid reflux disease. It causes stomach acids to come all the way up to esophagus which is relatively close to the mouth. This means that acid can actually travel all the way from your stomach to your mouth and start damaging your teeth. Due to the effects of acid, teeth start cracking and crumbling. Some other symptoms of GERD are dry mouth and heartburn. So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms be sure to visit the doctor. The treatment of GERD typically involves some lifestyle changes and medications.
Oral cancer
Sores can appear in the mouth for various reasons. Some people bite their gums when they are nervous while some may do it accidently. This creates a sore which should disappear within a week or two. If this does not happen and sores stay for much longer time, this may be an alert to a much bigger issue. Such sores have to be checked out by a doctor in order to rule out oral cancer. This disease has a survival rate of only 35% and it usually affects people over the age of 60. Still, if the disease is discovered at an earlier stage it can be cured. Oral cancer is six times more likely to affect smokers, but can affect non-smokers just as well. Bleeding and numbness are other symptoms as well, but sometimes the only symptom that may appear is a sore with white or red borders, that does not want to go away.
Other medical conditions
There are many other diseases which cause certain issues in your mouth. For example both Sjogren’s syndrome and diabetes can manifest in dry mouth. Still, in most cases dry mouth is caused by allergies, smoking or new medications. But if you are experienced dry mouth, think about visiting a doctor just in case. Stress is also something that can manifest in your mouth. People who grind their teeth in the sleep are in the most of the cases suffering from emotional and psychological stress. Teeth-grinders can easily see the flatness on their teeth, or feel it with their tongue. There are also some medical conditions that actually appear as a result of bad oral health. Most of the bacteria in the mouth are harmless but can damage your overall health if you do not pay enough attention to your oral hygiene. Maintaining a healthy mouth means brushing your teeth regularly, not biting your gums as well as having straight teeth. The straightness of the teeth actually affects overall health of both your teeth and gums. If you are looking to straighten your teeth, invisalign vs braces debate may cross our mind. Be sure to choose the better option and straighten your teeth as soon as possible.
The Connection between #oralhealth and Overall #Health https://t.co/aZt7FLUnbi via @Zigverve #dentalhealth pic.twitter.com/pq1RFVwcYd
— Zigverve.com (@zigverve) October 28, 2015
So, if you experience any of the above given symptoms be sure to visit a doctor just in order to rule out some these serious conditions. On the other hand if you are actually suffering from one of these diseases, discovering it as soon as possible is very important. You should also maintain proper oral hygiene if you do not want some other serious issues to appear.
