10 Ways your Dental Team can Save Your Life!!!

Everyone knows that they should be seeing their dentist and dental hygienist at least twice a year, but did you know that your investment in maintaining your smile could also save your life?!

1. Dentists and Dental Hygienists are highly skilled at looking for and identifying things that are out of the ordinary and that includes oral cancer. Their quick referral to an oral pathologist could make the difference between life and death!
2. Sleep apnea is being recognised as a huge contributing factor to strokes, heart disease and accidents due to fatigue. Your dentist might have a solution! There are dental appliances which can hold your airway open and stop or reduce the number of breathing episodes you experience! Often proper treatment from a dentist can prevent moving on to the cumbersome and expensive C Pap machine!
3. Dental offices who take the time to do complete oral exams and full mouth series of x rays often find areas of major concern before they show any symptoms. Dental abscesses, cysts and tumors can all be identified long before they would have caused pain.
4. Dental Hygienists aren't just cleaning plaque and tartar off your teeth. They are reducing the levels of bacteria in your mouth. A heavy load of bacteria contributes to more inflammation, sickness and overall poor health of not just your mouth, but YOU! 
5. Gum disease is now a known risk factor for many autoimmune diseases including cardiovascular disease. A sudden change in your oral condition can alert your hygienist that something is wrong!
6. Following joint replacements and some heart surgeries, your new 'part' is at high risk of infection or rejection. A good dental team will make sure that you are given a proper preventative course of antibiotics before they do anything in your mouth!
7. Many dental offices offer blood pressure checks as part of their complete exam. Unusually high or low readings are immediately sent to your medical doctor.
8. A professionally made sports guard can save more than just your teeth! A custom appliance can also help to prevent brain injuries in the event of a blow to the mouth!
9. Dentists and dental hygienists have training in pharmacology…they will carefully go over the list of medications that you provide them. This can prevent fatal drug interactions and overdoses. They also will monitor any oral changes that can be caused by the medication that you take.
10. Diabetics are at extra high risk of having periodontal or gum disease. Dentists and dental hygienists will report back to the medical doctor if they see warning signs that blood sugars have not been under control and if inflammation is out of control. 

The amazing team of dentists and dental hygienists at Maple Dental Health are here to keep you and your smile beautiful and healthy for life!