How the condition of your mouth reflects your general health.

Our Egham dentist focuses on providing efficient, professional, modern dentistry for everyone who attends our practice. Whether it's advanced cosmetic dentistry, or a simple scale and polish, we ensure every patient gets the detailed, thorough treatment they need.

A large part of our job at the surgery is performing oral health checks. We will do this when you first register with us and when you come for checkups, and we will look for specific symptoms if you raise a concern with us. We are also trained to identify certain signs and symptoms if we see them, regardless of what we are treating at the time. For example; you may be having a routine extraction with us but we notice a sign or symptom of something unrelated in your mouth. If this happens we will discuss what we have found at the earliest convenient time and talk about treatment options with you.

So, with this in mind, you can feel reassured that we are always aware of your overall oral health to ensure that if you do have something that needs addressing, we can diagnose it and help you get it treated. You might also be interested to know, when we examine your mouth and surrounding areas we are also looking for signs and symptoms for issues that are not related to your oral health. There are lots of serious health conditions that can be spotted during an oral health examination, so visiting us at our Egham dentist isn't just important for your smile, it's useful in terms of your overall health.

Here are just some serious health conditions we can spot when we examine your mouth:

Acid Reflux

If your bottom teeth are showing signs of erosion this can be a sign of acid reflux.

Crohn's Disease

Your gums can show some signs of Crohn's that you may have no idea about, but they actually look pretty obvious to your dentist. They show in the form of little, painless raised areas on the gums directly surroundings your teeth and look like the same inflammation that can affect the intestines of people with the disease.

Diabetes

If you have a dry mouth or complain of having a dry mouth, your dentist may suggest that this can be a symptom of diabetes. Bad breath and a slow healing time can also be warning signs of the disease.

Heart Disease

Gum disease in the mouth of someone who really shouldn't have it can be a classic sign of someone with potential cardiovascular issues. Certain symptoms like bleeding gums coupled with other heart disease risk factors can raise a big red flag for your dentist. This is one of the reasons your dentist needs to know about your overall health, not just your oral health.

RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)

Swelling and pain in the jaw can be a sign of RA and can affect all ages as it is an autoimmune issue.

Cancer

Your dentist is highly trained in looking for the signs of oral cancer. Tissue discolouration, often deep in your throat where you cannot see, can be spotted by your dentist and may serve as a potential warning sign for the disease.

What To Do

If you visit us at our Egham dentist and we spot any signs or symptoms of something you need attention for we will discuss it with you and either advise you to get it looked at, or refer you accordingly (depending on the sign or symptom). Most of the time the symptoms are nothings serious, the point is you're getting it checked out just to be sure.

The most important thing to do is ensure you are coming to us at Crown House Dental regularly, so we can help you with your general oral care and spot symptoms of anything that needs looking at as early as possible. If you think you have spotted symptoms of something yourself and want it checking, please do not hesitate to visit us so we can take a look and give you peace of mind. Our number is 01784432641 and our receptionists will be more than happy to book you an appointment. Alternatively, fill in our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.