EDMONTON JOURNAL
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Dentist can detect disease far beyond the mouth
Jane McBride
Beaumont Enterprise
BEAUMONT, TEXAS
The next time you open your mouth to have your teeth cleaned, your dentist might learn a whole lot more about your personal life than your conversation discloses.
Dentists don't have to follow patients around to get answers about their lifestyle. It's all there between the lips.
Bleeding gums? The patient could be anemic. Wisdom teeth infected? Heart disease might be taking hold.
Although problems such as cavities or tooth decay send people to a dentist, it's the gums that need attention in most patients, said Dr. Richard Weaver, a family practice dentist for 27 years.
"If a patient as a periodontal problem - swelling of the gums and bleeding - you treat it the normal way. If it doesn't respond to conventional therapy, you look a little deeper and order blood tests," Weaver said.
Weaver remembers a patient who came in for routine treatment. He asked her to open her mouth wide and say, "Ahhh."
"I saw a growth on her tonsils, so I sent to an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialists). She had a squamous cell carcinoma on her tonsils. It was limited to her tonsils and hadn't spread, so she was fine," Weaver said.
Dr. Dave Carpenter, 50, said many diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, cause changes in the mouth. "Patients with poorly controlled diabetes are more likely to develop periodontal disease. They have that breath that smells like finger nail polish remover. Another thing we see is cheilitis, which is sores in the corner of their lips that don't heal well," Carpenter said.
"What researchers are discovering is that there is an absolute link between inflammation of the gums and plaque in the coronary arteries. People with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease."
According to the American Dental Association and WebMD, diseases and health conditions that create changes in the mouth include:
BULIMIA: Binging and purging stimulate the body to produce acid that destroys tooth enamel. Gum recession and lets of cavities also are indicators.
GASTRO ESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD): causes the same symptoms as bulimia - eroded tooth enamel and multiple cavities.
HEART DISEASE: Infection around the molars (pericoronitis), especially the wisdom teeth, is a strong predictor of heart disease, since the bacteria in the mouth and the plaque the bacteria causes also can appear as plaque in arteries.
LEUKEMIA: Gums often turn fiery red and are very inflamed and "spongy."
VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES: Sores at the corners of the mouth, small taste buds and a sore tongue can indicate iron deficiency. Gums that easily bleed and bruise can indicate a vitamin C deficiency. Jaw fractures and gum disease can follow vitamin D deficiency.
Dr. Molly Rodgers, General Dentist - Providing services in cosmetic dentistry to the area of Edmonton Alberta, Canada.
