Know Your Dental Numbers

Of course you care about your health.  You see your physicians yearly for blood pressure, cholesterol ,  blood work, and, if you are a woman, pap smears, and mammograms.  Important numbers such as triglycerides, BMI, and A1C indicate your relative risk for getting a heart attack, diabetes and other diseases.  You work hard to keep your numbers in check and be healthy.  Did you know that there are important new tests to identify your risk of getting oral cancer, periodontal disease, and tooth decay?  Preventing these conditions not only improves your quality of life, but might even save your life.

Oral cancer is on the rise.  Human Papilloma Virus- HPV, is a recently discovered cause of some oral cancers.  That means many more people are potentially at risk for this disfiguring and deadly disease.  A simple test will tell us if you are at risk, by detecting the presence or absence of the HPV virus in your mouth.   HPV infection can be contracted at any time, and the virus itself can lie dormant in a person’s body, so yearly testing is advised by some health professionals.  With a positive test result, we can determine appropriate referral and monitoring options earlier, even before a pre-cancerous or cancerous lesion forms.

Eighty percent of adults have some form gum disease.  There are genetic and bacterial components to this condition.  A sample of your saliva can be sent to the lab, and analyzed for the presence of a gene associated with periodontal disease—if you have it, you’re at higher risk to develop the disease and suffer the adverse effects (gum recession, loose teeth, and possible increased risk for heart disease and other serious health conditions).  If the gene is present, your dentist can monitor you very closely to control or eliminate the possibility of problems.   The same test sample allows us to identify the types and amounts of periodontal disease-linked bacteria present, so we can prescribe appropriate antibiotics and home care to treat your disease. 

Would you like to know if you and your family are at risk for developing cavities?   A simple, inexpensive swab test, will immediately tell us your risk factor.   While you may not have tooth decay currently, your mouth may be harboring the bacteria that cause decay.  These bacteria are contagious and are transmitted to your family through saliva (sharing spoons, drinks and kissing).  We can eliminate these bacteria from your mouth and eliminate the risk.

My goal for you: early, accurate diagnosis to achieve excellent oral health.  Your dental numbers--they can be as important as your medical numbers.  Prevention is the key to a healthy smile!