It may start in the mouth... A doctor reveals serious diseases unrelated to teeth

 

Russian doctor and dental surgeon Oksana Mikheeva revealed that some diseases not directly related to teeth may show their first signs inside the oral cavity.

The doctor told the Russian website Life.ru: “Diseases such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, vitamin deficiencies, and blood disorders may reveal themselves through symptoms that appear inside the mouth, such as dryness of the mucous membrane, inflammation of the tongue, cracks at the corners of the lips, or bleeding gums.”

She added that a dentist may suspect diseases not directly related to teeth, even if the patient visits him because of tooth pain or for a routine check-up.

 "In practice, we often discover ear, nose and throat diseases, especially maxillary sinusitis, in addition to cases of neuralgia. Also, sores that do not heal for a long time may be an indication of blood diseases or disorders of the endocrine system."

She pointed out that bleeding gums is often linked to vitamin deficiencies, stressing that a thorough examination by a dentist can help detect these problems in their early stages.

She said: “During a routine preventive examination, a dentist may suspect that the patient has maxillary sinusitis and refer him to an ENT specialist. Also, persistent gum bleeding, along with other symptoms, may warrant referring the patient to a cardiologist.”

Mikheeva emphasized that many people ignore signs that appear inside the mouth, even though they may warrant a doctor's visit, such as sores that do not heal, cracks in the lips or tongue, white spots on the mucous membrane, persistent dry mouth, and bleeding gums.

She explained that these symptoms do not necessarily mean that there is a serious illness, but they may require further examinations to determine their causes, noting that some of them may be related to precancerous changes in the oral mucosa, so they should not be ignored.

She concluded by saying: "If you notice persistent dryness in the mouth, a white coating on the tongue, sores, cracks, or bleeding gums, do not delay a visit to the dentist. Early examination not only contributes to maintaining dental health, but may also help in detecting general health problems at an early stage."