The Secrets Teeth Tell
The ways your teeth reveal your diet, sleeping patterns, overall health, and other habits.
Your teeth and mouth tell a lot about you- and we’re not talking just about the words you speak…
Your smile is 1/3 of your face- making your teeth one of the first things people notice about you. However, your teeth tell far more about you than just your physical attractiveness. With one look around your mouth, dentists can often tell things about you like which hand is your dominant hand, if you snore at night, and even what side you like to sleep on.
Intrigued? Let’s get into some of the details:
Brushing and flossing habits:
There’s no fibbing about how often you brush or floss! If your teeth are clean, but I touch your gums and they bleed, then I know you aren’t flossing as much as you should be. Dental professionals look for signs like redness, swelling, and uneven contours for signs of how thorough you are with your home care routine.
I can often spot people who brush heavily because their teeth show signs of wear on the cheek side. If the wear is worse on one side or another, then I can sometimes even tell which hand is your dominant hand.
Clenching and grinding:
There are numerous signs of clenching and grinding that many people exhibit: tooth wear, tooth mobility, tooth migration, indentations of the teeth on sides of the tongue, short teeth, large chewing muscles, a muscular neck… the list goes on.
Most people who exhibit signs of clenching and grinding don’t even realize they are doing it!
Often clenching occurs during the day when performing repeat motions at work, driving, stressing about the day, and sitting with forward head posture and rolled shoulders. These people often get tension headaches as well.
Whether or not you’re aware, teeth grinding often occurs during sleep. Grinding can occur because of a bite imbalance, or even be related to poor breathing patterns during sleep.
Sleep patterns:
People with acid reflux are typically side sleepers and whichever side they sleep on typically has more fillings and cavities than the other side.
Often people who snore at night or sleep with their mouth open have, inflammation of the throat and enlarged tonsils. They also typically have signs of clenching and grinding.
Health conditions:
Acid reflux causes scooped out teeth, loss of enamel, and more cavities.
Tobacco use has many harmful effects and is typically immediately evident with generalized redness and inflammation in the mouth.
People missing several teeth are more likely to have cognitive decline tooth loss and people with gum disease can also have other health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.
Pregnancy can manifest with unexplained gum redness and puffiness.
Diet
Ever heard of “Mountain Dew mouth?” That’s because it’s acidic, like most foods and drinks we consume as Americans. The acid softens your teeth and gives bacteria the opportunity to cause cavities. It also contains sugar for bacteria to feed on… a lot of it!
Hairline cracks can sometimes be a sign you are an ice chewer, grinder, or eat hard candies.
Often, new cavities in an adult are either due to a sudden change in diet or even a change in medication.
Dry Mouth:
Your saliva is extremely important to keeping your teeth healthy. It neutralizes all the acids in your diet and has minerals to strengthen your teeth. People suffering from a dry mouth often have several cavities and will find themselves spending a lot of time at the dentist without proper intervention.
Many genetic and systemic diseases present themselves in the form of your teeth, the number of your teeth, problems in your bone and gums, and more. Some diseases are even present in the mouth before they show up anywhere else on the body. Remember, your mouth is a window into your entire body, so take care of it and treat it with care. If you are getting new cavities, having new tooth pain or infection, or noticing changes to your teeth or gums- reach out to us today for a consultation.