Bad teeth can cause systemic diseases

"Oral health is the foundation of overall health." Professor Cheng Bin, executive vice president of the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, pointed out in his lecture that the sixth of the World Health Organization's ten major health standards mentions "clean teeth, no caries or cavities, no pain, normal gum color, and no bleeding." In fact, many people cannot meet the standards. "How do you know if your teeth are in good condition? It's very simple. If you brush your teeth with cold water in winter or ice water in summer and feel toothache, it is very likely that there is a problem with your teeth." People often describe oral diseases as "toothache", but in fact it can be divided into 6 major categories.

The first type is dental pulp disease

For example, tooth defects can be caused by dental caries, commonly known as "tooth decay", dental trauma, tooth staining, cracks, improper brushing and other factors. If dental diseases such as dental caries are not treated in time, they will develop into pulpal periodontitis, which manifests as severe pain at night and pain when biting.

The second type is periodontal disease

It is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, accounting for about 30% to 40%. Many people start with "mild symptoms" such as red and swollen gums, bleeding when brushing teeth and eating, and bad breath when speaking, which progress to periodontal disease, gum atrophy, wider gaps between teeth, longer teeth, exposed tooth roots, and eventually loosening and falling teeth.

The third category is oral mucosal disease

The most common type is recurrent oral ulcers, the cause of which is unclear and is related to genetics, immunity, and trace element deficiency. It manifests as periodic recurrence and can heal naturally.

Not contagious, not malignant. Oral lichen planus manifests as white patches and streaks on the oral mucosa, congestion, erosion, and is prone to recurrence. If the ulcer does not heal for more than a month, be careful as it is a precancerous condition that may turn into cancer. There is another type of patients who often feel numbness, burning and bitterness in their mouth, which is called "burning mouth syndrome", which is related to psychological factors.

The fourth category is oral and maxillofacial surgical diseases

For example, oral and maxillofacial infections, injuries, tumors, salivary gland diseases, temporomandibular joint diseases, maxillofacial nerve diseases, congenital cleft lip and palate and cleft face, dentofacial deformities, and obstructive sleep apnea diseases.

The fifth category is tooth loss

The sixth category is tooth misalignment

Oral diseases and systemic diseases can affect each other. Periodontal disease can induce or aggravate systemic diseases. For example, bad teeth may induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, premature birth, etc. Systemic diseases can also manifest in the oral cavity. For example, if you have diabetes, AIDS, certain blood diseases, etc., do not miss oral lesions during treatment.