If you're taking your teeth for granted, then perhaps the confession from a dentist may eventually change your mind and force you to take proactive action as soon as possible. Dental problems such as bad breath or recurrent mouth sores may mean more serious underlying illnesses such as a liver disease and cancer.
In an article published in the Daily Mail on Friday, October 24, Elleven Dental's clinical director Dr. Sameer Patel mentions that the condition of the mouth can provide a person a picture of his or her overall health. He also cautions that "minor problems" may also be warning signs that a person should immediately heed.
He goes on to illustrate common oral problems and what they mean to your health. For example, bad breath can be a sign of a liver disease especially if you have taken all the necessary steps to avoid it like regular flossing and brushing tongue and teeth. It may also mean that you have indigestion or a stomach disease.
While mouth sores or ulcers are very common, the dentist cautions the public to watch out for recurrent cases or those that never go away after 7 days to two weeks. They may already be symptoms of a progressing oral cancer or the immune system may be significantly compromised or suppressed.
More men and women visit the dentist for cosmetic reasons, such as bleaching or whitening in order to get rid of teeth yellowing or staining. However, the culprit may not be poor oral hygiene at all but rather medications. Drugs and mouth rinses with tetracycline can often cause yellowing of the teeth. To avoid it, the patient may either request for another medication or consider teeth whitening.
Dry mouth can actually be a good indication of diabetes. While there are many reasons why a person can develop dry mouth including smoking and drinking alcohol, it's possible too that the blood vessels that help in the production of saliva may have already thickened, a condition that happens when a person is diabetic.