Your Mouth: A Window to Your Overall Health

Meeting the needs of a loved one with a disability or complex medical condition presents challenges everyday, and it becomes very easy for a parent or caregiver to allow concerns such as dental health to fall by the wayside in the face of other priorities. However, healthy teeth and gums are necessary for overall health. People with special needs are especially predisposed to rampant tooth decay and aggressive gum disease, often as a result of their medical conditions or prescribed medications. Not only can a person's ability to chew, eat, and smile be affected, but infections can also seed to other parts of the body, jeopardizing the person's overall medical health. Problems that go unchecked can result in costly future treatments. For these reasons, taking care of the teeth and gums should be as important to every person's daily routine as taking medications or exercising. Since dental diseases will not go away on their own, professional care from a dentist is necessary for maintaining oral health. Seeking the right dentist is important, as very few dentists treat those with special needs.