Maintaining proper oral health requires regular dental check-ups, but there’s even more that can be done through a general physician, also known as a family doctor. Because they take a general view of your health as a whole, instead of focusing on only part of the body, a family doctor can help catch any problems before they fully develop.
Medical Conditions That Can Impact Oral Health
A dentist is on the frontlines of maintaining oral health, but they do not look for other medical conditions that can also impact you orally. A family doctor can catch these conditions with frequent health screenings and suggest treatment plans that will stop the problem from getting worse.
Kidney Disease
Kidney issues can be hard to detect, and they will wreak havoc on the body’s immune system. The function of your kidneys is to filter out waste and toxins, which, if left unchecked, can severely compromise your ability to stave off infection. This can cause even minor damage to your gums to become an oral infection quickly.
Arthritis
The inflammation and stiffness caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis isn’t just limited to hands, knees, or your back. Jaws are joints too, and if those are stiffened and painful to move due to arthritis, it can make brushing, flossing, and chewing exceptionally difficult.
Diabetes
Those suffering from diabetes have trouble regulating sugar, which can severely impact the mouth and cause thrush. Untreated diabetes puts you at a higher risk for gum diseases and periodontal disease that can result in losing teeth
Autoimmune Diseases
A common side effect of autoimmune disease is severe dry mouth which makes your gums more susceptible to disease. A few disorders, including lupus, can cause painful ulcers and sores along the tongue and lips.
How A Family Doctor Can Help Your Oral Health
Because of the number of medical conditions that can impact your oral health, it’s important to regularly see a family doctor. Health screenings can catch the majority of these issues before they get worse, from cancer screenings to checking your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Think back and try to remember the last time your dentist checked your blood pressure before an exam. Unless you are being prepped for surgery, or have a medical condition that they know about beforehand, this doesn’t happen.
The family doctor taking a general, overall view of your health is what will provide a solid baseline for your dentist to work from. It never hurts to have more information.
Ask Your Doctor About Oral Health
During your check-ups, do not be afraid to ask your family doctor about your oral health. Ask questions about medications you have to take, such as:
- Will this give me dry mouth?
- Are there any side effects that will change how I taste food?
- Is this going to irritate my throat/mouth when I take it?
- Will this cause any swelling?
Your dentist always asks about current medications that you are taking for this very reason. Know what you are taking, why you are taking it, and in what dosage. Be honest and up front with them when asked, but it helps if you have already had these discussions with your family doctor ahead of time.
Tell Your Doctor About Changes To Your Oral Health
The same is also true in reverse, and if your dentist finds lesions or ulcers in your mouth, you need to inform your family doctor right away. It’s quite possible that your dentist may be the first to see signs of an underlying condition. This is especially common with certain types of oral cancers that can be detected through dental scans and mouth exams.
If you are still months, or even a year away, from another medical check-up, call your doctor’s office and share the information with them. You always want to catch a disease before it can spread and time is of the essence.
Finding A Local Doctor
It can be difficult to find a dentist and a doctor in your area, especially now that an aging population is making it difficult to be seen at most practices. Conducting a physician job search online is enough to show how in-demand medical professionals are. While this is good if you are in the field, or planning to enter it, as it can be very lucrative and there is no shortage of positions to be filled, it makes it hard to find a good doctor.
Ask friends and family, even ask your dentist, and if you can’t find a dentist, then ask your doctor for recommendations.
Frequent dental and medical check ups are required to maintain your good health.
Don’t separate your oral health and your general health as they must work together to keep your body fully functioning.
