{"id":38,"date":"2019-05-20T19:54:55","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T19:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=38"},"modified":"2019-05-21T17:44:18","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T17:44:18","slug":"dentist-more-than-cavities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/20\/dentist-more-than-cavities\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Dentist is Looking for More Than Just Cavities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Smiling<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What do you expect when you visit your\ndentist?  They clean your teeth, give you\nsome advice on where to brush, and worst case scenario they find a cavity,\nright?  Everybody knows that seeing a\ndentist is important\nfor good oral hygiene<\/a>, but it may actually be more important than you\nrealize.  Here are just some of the\nnon-dental medical issues that can be caught during a dental checkup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Oral Cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oral cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the\nUnited States.  During your visit, a\ndentist can perform an oral cancer screening to check for red and white patches\nor sores in your mouth, as well as lumps or other warning signs.  The survival rate is much higher when\ndiagnosed in the early stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diabetes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It may surprise you to know that blood sugar has a major\neffect on oral health, which means your mouth may show warning signs of\ndiabetes.  This includes loose teeth as\nwell as receding, bleeding gums.  It\u2019s\nimportant to note that bleeding gums are also a sign of gum disease, so your\ndentist may suggest a visit to the doctor to get a blood glucose check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your mouth suffers an injury or heals improperly after a\ndental procedure, it could become infected. \nAn infection might cause pain, swelling, redness, tooth drainage, and\nother symptoms; if left untreated, it may spread to other areas of the body and\ncause even more damage.  If your dentist\nfinds signs of an infection, they may be able to prescribe antibiotics to\nprevent it from getting worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osteoporosis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Loose teeth and a receding gum line may be a sign of\nosteoporosis; when the bones supporting your teeth change, it has an effect on\nyour mouth.  A dentist takes note of\npatients who are at risk for this condition (particularly older women) and may\nrecommend a doctor\u2019s visit to confirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HIV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adults suffering from HIV may have oddly colored spots on\ntheir tongues or their mouths, and they may also suffer from oral warts and\nlesions.  In addition, children with HIV\nmay have dry mouth.  If your dentist\nthinks you may have HIV, they\u2019ll most likely ask you to see your doctor for\nsome blood tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Potential Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are even more ways your mouth may be a sign of larger\nproblems.  Stress may cause you to grind\nyour teeth and wear them down.  Vomiting\ncaused by bulimia may erode your teeth over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s incredibly important to visit your dentist twice a year\nso that problems like these can be caught early on; the sooner they\u2019re found,\nthe easier they\u2019ll be to treat. Not only will this help keep your smile\nhealthy, but it could also be an important step in protecting your overall\nhealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ukti Phadnis practices all kinds of dentistry at Wethersfield Dental Group.\u00a0 She encourages proactive and preventive dental care for patients of all ages, and she strives to make patients feel comfortable and relaxed during their visits.\u00a0 She is continuing her education to keep up with the latest advances in dentistry.\u00a0 To learn more about her practice, visit her website<\/a> or call at (860) 400-3007.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you expect when you visit your dentist?  They clean your teeth, give you some advice on where to brush, and worst case scenario they find a cavity, right?  Everybody knows that seeing a dentist is important for good oral hygiene, but it may actually be more important than you realize.  Here are just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}