Health

Ask the Dentist: The mouth reveals many secrets of your general health - including thyroid problems

Dentists can spot more than trouble with your teeth - they may be the first to identify thyroid problems, says Lucy Stock of Gentle Dental Care in Belfast

Your dentist may be the first to spot if there's something up with your thyroid gland.
Your dentist may be the first to spot if there's something up with your thyroid gland. Your dentist may be the first to spot if there's something up with your thyroid gland.

THE mouth reveals many secrets about your entire body if you know what to look for.

Surprisingly enough your dentist may be the first one to spot if there's something up with your thyroid gland.

Your Adam's apple is a small butterfly-shaped organ that hugs your windpipe. It is part of our endocrine system which means it pumps out hormones.

Thyroid hormones control the energy in our body and how much calcium our bones absorb. It affects our heart, brain, muscles, digestion, and bones so it's a small but crucial part of our health.

When the thyroid gland is in cruise mode all is well, but it is easily thrown off track - it's the second most common gland to give problems.

When the thyroid is under par (called hypothyroidism) it can cause a strange bitter or metallic taste to rear its head.

The mouth often dries out and a distressing burning type of pain frequently ripples through the tongue and gums.

So, the dentist may start to see new holes in your teeth due to the teeth drying out because of the lack of saliva.

The tongue also tends to swell up, become coated in a wretched fur and the cracks on the tongue's surface deepen as the moisturising effect of saliva vanishes.

A person with an underactive thyroid will often chat dejectedly about being tired and putting on weight and if we listen carefully, we can hear that they sound hoarser than usual.

Prolonged underproduction of thyroid hormones can even lead the jaw to spasm and the gland to protrude from the neck too much as a noticeable goitre.

On the flip side, it's not good either if the gland goes into hyperdrive (hyperthyroidism).

Excessively high levels of hormones tip the body the other way with weight loss, sleep problems and repetitive anxious thoughts.

Because the thyroid plays a part in bone turnover, the jawbones may appear less dense to the dentist on X-rays as the calcium has been leached out of the bones.

When thyroid levels tip towards the high part of the scales, teeth also rot more but with the added bonus this time of more bleeding inflamed gums.

So, you may find out more than you bargained for at your next dental check-up...