Your dental health has a lot to do with your general health.
For two weeks during the summer after my first year of medical school, I shadowed a dentist working in a community health clinic. The gentleman was something of a folk hero in his local community because of his decades-long commitment to improving public health.
To put it mildly, medical students don’t learn a lot about teeth during training. From my recollection, only one day of the formal curriculum was spent on choppers – and they belonged to an assortment of sedated dogs and goats.
The two summer weeks I spent with the dentist opened my eyes about what I could learn when patients open their mouths. I’ve tried to carry that lesson throughout my career.
To be clear, I am no dental expert.
I tend to think of health issues involving teeth and gums in four general categories; mechanical, cosmetic, infectious and malignant.
Just like boots are made for walking, teeth are made for chewing. Damaged, decayed, misaligned or absent teeth make this essential nutritional task more difficult. I have dealt with children and elderly adults who are literally failing to thrive because of inadequate nutrition as a consequence of painful or absent teeth.
While I generally avoid discussing the cosmetic rewards of health and health care, I’d like to make an exception for teeth. The social, emotional and even occupational benefits of a healthy smile are hard to overlook.
The most common dental issues with which I deal are attributable to infection. Our mouths are colonized with bacteria which live on and around our teeth and gums. Much of our preventive dental-care efforts are spent controlling these little critters.
Like most of us, bacteria on the teeth love sweets. Unfortunately for them, the only way they can get it is if we feed it to them. Every time we eat a treat, these guys have a party in our mouths until we brush it out with a brush and toothpaste.
Liquid sugar seems to be a favorite of mouth bacteria. All those sugary drinks like soda, Kool-Aid, juice, sports drinks and, yes, energy drinks circulate in all the cracks and crevices in our mouths and feed the bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, produce acid that gradually wears away the protective layers of our teeth, leading to decay.
Tooth infections can spread beyond the tooth to nearby bones, sinuses and even the bloodstream. Meanwhile, all those bacteria eating sugar and growing cause an inflammatory response that can contribute to other health problems, including high blood sugar among diabetics.
Certain toxins adversely effect the health of soft tissues in the mouth. These toxins are mostly found in tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco and cigarette or cigar smoke. Alcohol is another toxin. When toxic effects of these substances accumulate, cancer of the mouth and throat can result.
As my dentist mentor told me, take care of your mouth if you want to enjoy good health.
Dr. Matthew A. Clark is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and pediatrics practicing at the Ute Mountain Ute Health Center in Towaoc.
