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PREVENT PROBLEMS All About Cavities Brushing and Flossing Fluoride Mouth-Healthy Eating Sealants Taking Care Of Your Teeth Tobacco Your Dental Visit MORE  CONDITIONS Bad Breath Cavities Cold Sores Dry Mouth Impacted Tooth Sensitive Teeth TMJ Tooth Discoloration MORE  TREATMENTS Crowns Dentures Fillings: The Basics Gum Surgery Implants Root Canal Treatment Scaling and Root Planing Whitening MORE  GENERAL TOPICS Controlling Pain Cosmetic Dentistry Emergencies Fill, Repair, Replace Kids And Teens Oral Health and Your Body Orthodontics Periodontics Seniors MORE

Learn about how oral disease can affect your overall health and how many chronic diseases can affect your mouth and teeth. Introduction: The Mouth-Body Connection What goes on in the rest of your body affects your mouth, and what goes on in your mouth affects the rest of your body Kidney Disease Kidney disease can affect your oral health and your visits to the dentist. Columbia Commentary: Can Flossing Improve Overall Health? Is it an accepted "fact" that maintaining our teeth can also improve our overall health? Is it time to change the phrase "floss or lose your teeth" to "floss for good health"? Catching A Killer: What You Should Know About Oral Cancer (Videos) Find out how a dentist checks you for oral cancer and how you can check yourself. Blood Disorders Some blood disorders can affect your oral health. Neuromuscular Diseases and Conditions Certain neuromuscular diseases and conditions can affect your oral health. Bulimia Bulimia has many harmful effects on your mouth and teeth. Pregnancy Pregnancy can affect your dental care, and your oral health also may affect your baby. Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular conditions can affect your dental care, and some oral conditions may affect heart health as well. Respiratory Diseases and Conditions Some respiratory diseases and conditions can affect your oral health. Diabetes and Other Endocrine Disorders Whether your diabetes affects your oral health depends on how well you control your blood sugar. STDs and Related Conditions The herpes simplex virus can cause oral infections. Gastrointestinal Disorders Some gastrointestinal disorders, such as GERD, can affect your oral health. New Treatments for Cold Sores New medications are helping cold sore sufferers get through outbreaks quicker and easier. Head and Neck Cancer Head and neck cancers are typically treated with a combination of radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Each of these treatments can affect your oral health. Tobacco Tobacco poses a great threat to your health as a risk factor for oral cancer. HIV and AIDS HIV and AIDS affect your oral health and your visits to the dentist in many ways. Vitamin Deficiencies and Your Mouth Not getting enough of certain vitamins can have serious effects on your mouth and teeth. Immune Disorders Find out how immune disorders, such as arthritis and lupus, can affect oral health and dental visits. Columbia Commentary: Do You Need Antibiotics Before Your Dental Appointments? New guidelines suggest antibiotics before dental procedures for fewer heart conditions than in the past. The purpose is to prevent a dangerous infection.

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