Oral & Overall Health

Regularly scheduled oral evaluations are an extremely important part of your overall healthcare.  There are several reasons this is true.

First, oral exams allow your dentist to monitor your oral and overall health for emerging problems that you may not see or feel. These may be dental conditions, like tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontal disease, or emerging medical conditions that have oral manifestations, like oral cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and even some other cancers of the body. During a dental evaluation, your dentist may recognize these oral manifestations and refer you to a healthcare professional for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Second, many health conditions, medications, and treatments can negatively impact your oral health.  It is important to understand which conditions, medications, and treatments can put your oral health at risk. Through regular dental visits, you can better manage these risks.

Third, dental disease, most notably periodontal disease, has been linked to a broad spectrum of health conditions. The following are recent studies that are beginning to clarify the nature of the oral-systemic connection.