Updating Your Health History May Help Save Your Teeth

Although you may think your general health and your dental health are two completely separate categories, they are much more connected than the average person would suspect. Just as the information you provide to your doctor helps them keep your health in good shape, Dr. Barry and Dr. Love depend on your input for optimum dental health. They need to see the big picture in order to help you keep your teeth vital. Most Columbus residents might not think to inform their dentist about their general physical health, but would be surprised at the potential impact that information can have on their oral care. In short: keeping your health history updated with your Lifetime Dental team may help save your teeth! The Lifetime Dental Health team like to go above and beyond for our Columbus patients, but we need your participation to make sure you get the quality dental care you deserve. Here are a few reasons why.

Diabetes & Dental Health

750,000 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. However, few diabetes sufferers realize the full extent of the disorder’s effect on your teeth. If you have diabetes, you are much more likely to develop:

• Tooth decay
• Advanced gum disease
• Xerostomia (dry mouth)
• Oral ulcers
• Fungal infections

TMD/TMJ

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD/TMJ) results from improper workings of your jaw joint. Unfortunately, the symptoms of TMJ are so diverse that most people would never think to tell Dr. Barry or Dr. Love about them. However, we at Lifetime Dental Health can treat your TMD. Here are a few common symptoms signs of TMJ:

• Abnormally sensitive teeth
• Painful chewing
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Neck pain and/or stiffness
• Earaches
• Ringing in the ears
• Face pain
• Jaw aches
• Popping, clicking, or grinding of the jaw
• Frequent dislocation or locking of the jaw
• Difficulty or pain in opening the mouth wide

Physical impairments to brushing/flossing

If you have recently injured your hands, fingers, arms, shoulders, or suffer from any type of arthritis or physical disability, you may not be able to brush and floss as well as you should. There are ways to help Columbus residents improve their dental health beyond brushing and flossing, but Dr. Barry and Dr. Love need to know about any physical impairments you may have in order to provide you with the oral hygiene help you need.

Side-Effects & Dental Health

Did you know that more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medications cause dry mouth or harm teeth in other ways? It is estimated that 40% of the population takes at least one medication that can cause harm to their teeth. Provide your dental team with a complete detailed list of your medications at every dental visit.

So the next time you visit Lifetime Dental Health and our team asks how you are, be honest! Dental and general health go hand in hand. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us today!

Sources

http://www.diabetes.org/

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Teeth_and_drug_use

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/oral-side-effects-of-medications

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000529093840.htm