When getting an annual dental checkup, you might believe your dentist is focused on identifying cavities, cleaning plaque, or monitoring your gumline for recession. Well, think again. The connection between your mouth and your body is quite profound, and it takes a well-trained practitioner to uncover the secrets lurking in the darkness of your oral cavity.
“The gut is related to the mouth. The gut is connected to the brain. In other words, it’s all connected, and we’re looking at the entire person when they’re sitting in that dental chair,“ explains Fatima Robertson, DDS, at the Center of Endodontics, Periodontics, and Implantology (CEPI). “By looking at your mouth, a dentist can pick up on certain diseases that haven’t manifested fully yet.”
Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are two particularly concerning diseases. “When it comes to cardiovascular disease, if there’s a prevalence of bacteria in the mouth, it’s a red flag. That same bacteria is filtered in the blood stream, so the bacteria present in gum disease is the same bacteria that’s inside the heart and discovered in plaque. Similarly, the bacteria that breaks down the bone in gum disease is often found inside plaque too,” she explains.
These bidirectional relationships are called comorbidities; that is, one has an effect on the other. “The more the mouth presents in an unhealthy state, the more we can assume that blood sugar may be out of whack too. If the Standard American Diet (SAD) is contributing to your diabetes, then it’s most likely contributing to oral health too,” Robertson says.
Most people wait until their oral health is in a state of degeneration before they visit the dentist. If your teeth bleed when you brush, it’s already a warning sign. While regular periodontal cleanings are great to keep you in a state of maintenance, it’s what you do at home that creates the largest impact.
Dr. Robertson provides the following tips to maintain a good oral health routine:
- Brush twice a day, floss once a day—and if you’re only going to brush once, do it at night, so bacteria doesn’t fester in your mouth’s dark, moist environment.
- If using mouth rinses, avoid alcohol-based ones.
- Reduce consumption of starches/sugar.
- Reduce smoking and vaping, which contribute to dry mouth.
- Avoid lower lip piercings. Significant trauma results when the piercing hits against the teeth, weakening the bone until eventually the lower front teeth become loose enough that they need to be extracted.
- If pregnant, see your dentist at least every three months to prevent pregnancy gingivitis, which is associated with a higher chance of bone loss.
Besides offering root canals and other routine dental services, CEPI also provides a host of cosmetic services (from creating Hollywood “gummy” smiles to teeth whitening) and sedation dentistry (using IV anesthesia, which puts a patient’s whole body to sleep; mainly utilized for those with severe anxiety).
With 27 years of experience and counting, the most important things to Dr. Robertson are continuing to push more education out into the public stratosphere and treating patients comprehensively.
“Sometimes I’ve got to think like a physician when I see a patient with high A1C levels, or a dietitian and advise about food choices, or a therapist and talk about managing stress. When we’re under high stress, the more cortisol we pump out, and the less likely our bodies heal, resulting in more chances of gum disease.”
Who knew that dentists could act like detectives?
For more information, visit CEPI at 915 W Exchange Pkwy. #280, Allen, TX, 214-509-9011, cepi-allen.com.
By looking at your mouth, a dentist can pick up on certain diseases that haven’t manifested fully yet.