The oral health affects your overall health

In some cases, the state of our oral health alert us on other problems in the body. Some of the pathologies that the mouth can betray are the presence of polyps or a untreated sinusitis, among others.

Dr. Ivan Malagón, specialist in Orthodontics and Maxillofacial mandibular orthopedics, explains the relationship of oral health to overall health, and adds that: “The smile for being pretty has to be healthy, and this means that reflects a good health, not only oral, but from the integral point of view”.

As we know the mouth is the gateway to our agency, and it is therefore not surprising that some diseases may manifest for the first time in the oral cavity. “Many times the mouth collects the first symptoms of some systemic diseases whose early diagnosis is key to avoid further complications”. For this reason, periodic dental revision has become not only a tool to detect and treat early lesions in the mouth and our teeth, avoiding treatments on a larger scale, but that, in addition, you can put on the track of diseases that affect our body and, in some cases, can have serious consequences.

By way ofexample, Dr. Malagón explains to us that already in the past, the first sign of “one of the worst scourges for health, as it was smallpox, was detected in the mouth from small llaguitas”. Today, the lesions in the oral mucosa continue to reveal that something is not right. “It is not common for a child, he smells the encouragement and, if it is, many times reveals a infection by foreign body in the nostrils … , for example”.

Common alterations that warn us of other pathologies:

-Sores in the mouth: are the first sign of an immune system problem, hormonal changes, lack of certain vitamins (especially A, B12 and folate), stress, excessive exposure to the sun, autoimmune disorders or viral rashes and, in exceptional cases, any tumor.

-Bad breath: if you exclude the poor hygiene and other oral problems as a cause of bad breath or halitosis, evil smell our mouth is the first symptom of many other diseases or problems, such as xerostomia (dry mouth by low salivation), malnutrition, pharyngitis, abscesses, oral candidiasis, primary tumors of the pharynx, mumps, diabetes, tuberculosis or reaction to certain drugs. Also the bad breath you must get on the track of gastrointestinal disorders (peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, or hiatal hernia), sinusitis, polyps or infections generated by foreign bodies lodged in the nose, something common especially in children.

In addition, bad breath can help the dentist to identify a poorly controlled blood glucose in the diabetic patient, or other systemic diseases such as kidney failure or severe hepatic dysfunction.

-Color and texture of the tongue: the color and texture of the language, as well as the presence of spots, it is a sign of kidney disorders, blood supply, of vascular anomalies, gastrointestinal problems, anemia, etc. Remember to visit your dentist regularly, as once again this is not just your oral health, ¡Cuídate!