what can a dentist tell from your mouth

You may think your dentist doesn't know, but they can tell when you drink a lot of soda or sports drinks. Rinsing with water or mouthrinse after meals. Teeth that are flattened, fractured, chipped or loose. Your teeth may be worn down or chipped if you've been unconsciously grinding or clenching them. You've heard of oral cancer right? 99 views, 1 likes, 1 loves, 4 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Salvation Army of Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson Counties: Holiness Meeting April 30,2023 "Often, the patient does not notice it because it starts as a small spot toward the back of the mouth or under the tongue and they don't have any symptoms," Cram says. Your mouth problems can be related to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, certain types of cancers, among others. 2005 - 2023 WebMD LLC, an Internet Brands company. Without enough saliva, the mouth is vulnerable to infections such as gum disease. You love eating sweet foods and drinking carbonated beverages. Some dentists use special tests in addition to the oral exam to screen for oral cancer. This could cause your face to feel like it is going numb. The goal of oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that may lead to mouth cancer at an early stage when cancer or lesions are easiest to remove and most likely to be cured. Mouth cancer (also known as oral cancer) can occur anywhere inside your mouth in your lips, gums, tongue, under your tongue, on the roof of your mouth, inside your cheeks and around your wisdom teeth. Why Are Pancreatic Cancer Rates Up in Young Women? If your tooth enamel is worn down, for example, that's a sign that you may be suffering from stress and grinding your teeth at night. I drink too much soda or sports drinks. Oral health can be a contributing factor related to several common diseases and conditions. This usually indicates that the cancer has spread and become more advanced. Screening for oral cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. If any of these symptoms are accompanied by a high fever and facial or neck swelling, you should . But no studies have proved that oral cancer screening saves lives, so not all organizations agree about the benefits of an oral exam for oral cancer screening. Difficulty moving the tongue and jaw due to stiffness. "Signs include chips and cracking of the teeth, plus wear and tear on the teeth from the constant stress on them," says Keith Arbeitman, DDS, of Arbeitman & Shein in New York City. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. It is not possible to give advice nor diagnose any oral conditions based on text nor virtual consultations. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Inspecting Your Mouth For Signs of Mouth Cancer, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Tell-if-You-Have-Mouth-Cancer-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Tell-if-You-Have-Mouth-Cancer-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Tell-if-You-Have-Mouth-Cancer-Step-1.jpg\/aid4763770-v4-728px-Tell-if-You-Have-Mouth-Cancer-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"