How A Dental Exam Can Help Detect Osteoporosis In Women
Osteoporosis is a condition that affects millions of women, and one of the first ways you might find out you have this is through a dental examination. If you find out that you have osteoporosis, you may need to make some changes in your life if you want to prevent the disease from worsening. If you are wondering how this relates to dentistry, here are several things you should know.
Osteoporosis Affects All The Bones In Your Body
If you are healthy and do not have the need to visit a doctor often, you might not find out that you have osteoporosis until the condition is really bad; however, a normal visit to the dentist could help you discover this problem early on.
When a dentist performs a regular examination, he or she will take x-rays of your mouth and will carefully examine it. Through these two steps, the dentist will be able to tell if your jawbone is strong and healthy. If this bone looks like it might be losing mass, the dentist might suspect osteoporosis. The jawbone is like any other bone in your body, which means osteoporosis can affect it too.
When you have this disease, it will cause you to begin losing bone mass. This process happens very gradually, though, and there are ways you can stop the disease from progressing.
How Your Dentist Can Help
If your dentist suspects that you may have this disease, he or she will most likely suggest going to a regular doctor to have a bone density test completed. This will help you find out if you have osteoporosis or not, and it will help you find ways to stop it from worsening.
Your dentist might be able to help with this too, though, but this will depend on your current oral situation. For example, if you are missing any teeth, the dentist may suggest inserting dental implants to fill the gaps. This is because your teeth actually help your jawbone stay healthy. For your bone to keep building new tissue, it needs use, and your teeth are helpful with this.
In addition, the dentist may recommend gum disease treatment options if there are signs of gum disease. Keeping your gums healthy is also vital for having a healthy jawbone.
While these steps can make a difference in the amount of bone you have in your jaw, you would still need to seek help from a doctor for your osteoporosis. With the right changes in your life, you might be able to put a stop to the progression of this disease.
If you have not had a dental examination for a while, you should schedule an appointment. Not only can a dental examination help you keep your teeth healthy, but it might be able to help you find other types of health problems too.