Most people know the burning sensation and pain emanating from inside the chest: heartburn. Persistent symptoms that appear more than twice a week can be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. However, not all people with GERD have heartburn symptoms. In fact, you may have GERD and not even know.
How your dentist can detect it?
GERD, commonly called acid reflux, occurs when the esophageal sphincter that separates the stomach from the esophagus, allowing acid from the stomach out. In many cases, this acid causes heartburn, but this is not always the case. In the absence of symptoms of heartburn, the first indication that a person can have GERD is the erosion of the enamel of the molars or back teeth.
“The stomach acid can erode the tooth enamel,” says Dr. Ken Sutherland, DDS, dentist, senior adviser of Delta Dental. “Your dentist may be the first to notice symptoms of the disease when it detects the loss of enamel.” If detected, your dentist may refer you to a specialist who can prescribe treatment or recommend changes in lifestyle specifically for treatment of GERD, such as avoiding the consumption of acidic foods.
What can you do?
Enamel loss is permanent and, if unchecked, may cause the formation of tooth decay rapidly affected. Besides the loss of enamel, GERD can cause other long-term damage in the body, such as irritation and inflammation of the esophagus, which can even lead to esophageal cancer.
For this reason, it is important that your dentist will perform a regular oral exam, because it can detect early symptoms of a serious potential problem before it gets worse. In fact, over 90 percent of systemic diseases manifest in the mouth and can be detected during an oral examination by a dentist.
The oral health information on this website is intended only for educational purposes. You should always consult a licensed dentist or other professional for qualified health care if you have questions about your oral health.
Tags: esophageal cancer, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD, oral health, Stomach acid,
