FROM predicting heart disease, diabetes, and premature birth to revealing leukemia, eating disorders, and vitamin deficiencies, your teeth and gums say a mouthful about your health. Receding or inflamed gums, cavities, tooth loss, gingivitis, and other dental dilemmas in adults can indicate the presence of serious health problems. Usually, these problems result from poor dental hygiene such as not brushing well or not flossing regularly. But even by following your dentist's golden rule, you may still be hurting your overall health, "Often, it's a dentist or periodontist who is the first to identify a systemic health problem because of what they see in the patient's mouth," says Dr. Suresh Mehta, a periodontist. "Soon, I think you'll see more dentists looking at oral health to search for possible problems affecting the rest of the body. They're now teaching this stuff in dental schools, which wasn't the case 10 years ago," So what hidden health hazards can you find stuck between those teeth?

Diabetes

"Diabetics tend to get periodontal disease at a rate three to four times higher than people without diabetes, but when their condition is controlled with medication, diet, or other treatments, their periodontal condition will usually stabilise," says Dr Mehta. "if I see a lot of inflammation in someone who brushes right, and if they have an abscessed tooth (an infected pocket of pus in the tissue next to a tooth), I ask, 'Have you checked your blood sugar lately?'" That's because uncontrolled diabetes impairs white blood cells, the main defense against bacterial infection - and periodontal disease results from bacterial infection. Besides gum problems, diabetes also can produce dry mouth, thrush, or a distinct, telltale bad breath. "Breath that really smells bad could indicate infection of the nose, mouth, lungs, or stomach."

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis and tooth loss often go hand-in-hand because the same decrease in bone mineral density that boosts risk of hip and other fractures affects the jawbone and teeth.

That's one reason why women are especially vulnerable to tooth loss following menopause - and why despite its other health risks, hormone replacement therapy has been found to reduce their rate of tooth loss and gingivitis.

“Actually, there are four times in a woman's life when she's more vulnerable to dental problems," says gyneacologist Dr Usha Krishna. "During menopause, puberty, pregnancy, and around the time of your period, certain hormone levels are elevated that stimulate inflammatory mediators that make you more susceptible and responsive to bacteria in the mouth." So mark your calendar, ladies: It's during these times when a dental exam is useful.

Heart Disease

A recent study showed that the strongest predictor of heart disease was pericoronitis, an infection around the third molar; followed by root remnants, in which teeth decay to the point that only the tip of the root remains; gingivitis; cavities and missing teeth.

The possible connection: "It seems that bacteria often found in the mouth can appear as the same atherosclerotic plaque associated with cardiovascular disease," says Dr Mehta.

Premature And Low-Weight Births

Research shows that women who have gum disease during pregnancy are seven times more likely to have a baby that is born too early and too small than other expecting mothers - and the risk increases with the severity of their gum problems. "That's because when you have periodontal disease, the inflammation causes certain chemicals to be released in your bloodstream that could affect the baby's birth weight and delivery," says Dr Jimmi Daruwala. So if you're pregnant, head to the dentist or periodontist. Getting a simple clean up could reduce risk of premature birth.

Keep Off The Pills

The amount of saliva you produce decreases as you grow older. Besides drugs like antidepressants and high blood pressure medications, allergy remedies such as antihistamines and decongestants can also cause dryness in the mouth.

When the mouth dries out, you don't have the protective enzymes in salvia that help kill bacteria. Not only that, but gum tissue dries up, which causes cells to die on the surface, allowing it to proliferate. Dry mouth can be avoided by drinking plenty of water or using over-the-counter mouthwashes and chewing gums especially formulated to replace these protective enzymes.

Still, the mouth-body connection stresses the importance of that long preached advice: See your dentist regularly, especially during those vulnerable times of womanhood - or if you're about to be hospitalised.

Other conditions

Leukemia causes gums to be fiery red, very inflamed, and spongy.

Bulimia : "When you binge and purge, it creates acid in the mouth that eats away at tooth enamel, especially on the insides of the teeth," says Dr Mayank Shah. "Bulimics also have a lot more gum recession and higher rates of cavities."

Kidney problems can cause inflamed gums.

Vitamin deficiencies : Not getting enough iron can cause sores at the corners of the mouth, the taste buds to become small, or can lead to a sore tongue, In some cases, advanced iron deficiency can lead to anemia and may cause scarring in the throat and oesophagus, making swallowing difficult. While vitamin C deficiency causes gums to easily bruise and bleed, deficiency can lead to tooth loss. Vitamin D deficiency boosts risk of jaw fracture and gum disease.