When it comes to going to the dentist, you will expect to be given a detailed explanation about your oral health — from gum disease to any cavities that may arise, or even that you’re doing a great job looking after your teeth and gums. You may be heading to the dentist for a general check-up or you may be looking for a teeth whitening London procedure to get that Hollywood glow, but did you know that a trip to the dentist can provide you with information about your overall health as well as the state of your teeth? Despite many people disconnecting dental and medical worlds entirely, there are a number of things that your mouth can tell you about your overall health, and we’re taking a look at a few examples below.
Metallic Taste
This is particularly common in vegetarians and vegans, but anyone can suffer from a metallic taste in their mouth. There are a number of different reasons as to why you may be experiencing this. Firstly, you may be experiencing a symptom of gum disease and therefore need to visit a dentist to diagnose this and provide the necessary treatment as soon as possible. However, this taste can also be a side effect of certain medications or even diet. A metallic taste in the mouth can be a sign that you are suffering from zinc deficiency, and vegetarians/vegans are more prone to this as zinc is found in a lot of animal products. In order to combat this, vegetarians/vegans may want to increase their intake of fortified cereal, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and other foods that are high in zinc or may want to consider taking supplements.
You May Be At Risk Of A Heart Attack
Not many people are aware of this, but periodontal disease is actually very closely aligned with cardiovascular disease. This means that if your oral health isn’t quite up to scratch, you may be at an increased risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack. This is because bacteria which has built up in the mouth can actually enter the bloodstream and ultimately harden the arteries in the heart.
You May Have Oral Thrush
If you are experiencing white lumps or a coating on your tongue then you may be experiencing a condition known as oral thrush, or candidiasis. This is when a normal amount of yeast that should be in your mouth multiplies and begins to grow too much. Oral thrush is non-contagious, and symptoms can include the following: white patches that can be wiped off, loss of taste, an unpleasant taste in the mouth, redness in the mouth and throat, cracked corners of the mouth, a painful or burning sensation.
There are a number of causes of oral thrush, including antibiotics, poor oral hygiene overall, and smoking. However, oral thrush can indicate a number of other health issues which you may be enduring, including diabetes, hypothyroidism or HIV. Further to this, oral thrush can indicate deficiencies in B12 or iron, so this may indicate that there is something missing in your diet.
As you can see, there are a broad number of ways that the mouth can tell you a lot more about the condition of your body overall, and those listed above are just a few examples. Therefore, make sure to not miss out on your next trip to the dentist as this could provide you with an insight into things about your body that you may have missed.
