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Dentist in Mcallen

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"If the eye is the window to the soul, the mouth is the window to the body." Dr. Stuart Froum, President of the American Academy of Periodontists
Never ignore a gum disease problem. In the US, more than 50% of adults are suffering from different types of gum diseases, and a large chunk of this number simply ignore the issue. Apart form causing tooth loss, gum diseases can be a sign of other health conditions.
Let us find out what are these health conditions are and how dentists can identify them just by looking at your mouth:
1. Heart Problems. Despite causing no direct relationship with heart problems, having a gum disease is sometimes a symptom of heart problems. Based on several researches, it might be because of the underlying chronic inflammation. Whether a gum disease problem can be related to a heart problem or not, curing periodontis would still be beneficial for anyone suffering from it.
2. Lupus and Crohn’s Disease. Mouth ulcers can be a result of untreated lichen planus (a condition being linked to the immune function). Skin sores and white spots in the mouth that can either be tender or sore are dangerous and anyone seeing these symptoms should see a dentist right away.
3. Diabetes. Dentists are usually the first one to diagnose a patient suffering from diabetes. The initial reaction of people having frequent mouth infections which are termed as “abscesses” at the roots of their teeth or on the gums between their teeth is to go see a dentist. It is by then that dentists would find out that it is an early sign of diabetes.
4. Too Much Stress and Anxiety. When people are stressed out, they tend to have higher levels of cortisol. This condition is strongly correlated to inflammations which result to the body having difficulty in fighting infection. These stress hormones and inflammation would then result to gum diseases causing tooth loss and bone loss.
5. Anti-Depressant Medication. People who are on medication such as Proza, Zoloft, and Paxil usually experience having dry mouth. These anti-depressant medicines result to a decreased flow of saliva. Saliva is known as a protective layer for our teeth which also help in washing away food from out mouth. Other drugs that are causing dry out are the anti-histamines.
6. Anemia. People who are deficient in iron lose the normal red color of their gums. People with pink or white gums usually have anemia.
7. Pregnancy. Surprisingly, even pregnancy can be detected just by looking at a person’s mouth. Approximately 5% of pregnant women have small red growths on the gums which are referred to as the pregnancy tumors. Though these “pregnancy mouth tumors” are not dangerous, they can often result to an increased sensitivity in the mouth which obliges pregnant women to be more careful when it comes to their oral health. A dentist in McAllen, Texas, during an interview, mentioned that she once diagnosed a patient who found out from her that she is pregnant even before her obstetrician told her that.