What your teeth are trying to tell you

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- If only your teeth could talk. Statistics show periodontal disease affects over 85 percent of the population. But there's more to your mouth than tooth decay and gum disease. There are some secrets your teeth could be trying to tell you.

Jennifer Harvey has taken a detour from the dentist for years and what happened was diseased, decayed teeth.

Harvey told ABC30, "My gums were just bleeding all the time."

Larry Lieberman DDS of General, Cosmetic, and Laser Dentistry in Palm Harbor Florida, says more than 800,000 visits a year to the emergency room are because of teeth troubles.

Lieberman told ABC30, "It's very difficult to handle all the emergencies."

And those emergencies could be more than just in your mouth. Did you know white, yellow or brown spots and grooves on the tooth surface could be a sign of celiac disease? Pain in your top teeth could be a sign of sinus infection. Canker sores are a tell-tale sign of allergies you may not know you have. If your mouth tastes like you've been licking an aluminum can, it could be trying to tell you, you need more zinc. Swollen white nodes towards the back of your tongue could indicate HPV, and a bluish color on your tongue, may be a sign of oral cancer.

Jennifer's problems turned out not too serious, she was diagnosed with gum disease. To help with the disease she's upped her dental game and is now brushing and flossing twice a day, she stays away from chewy foods and orange juice, and soda is totally out of the question.

"If you put a tooth in soda, you're going to see it dissolves within several days," Lieberman told ABC30.

Now that her teeth have gone from diseased and decayed to healthy and shiny, Jennifer doesn't mind a day with the dentist and said, "It's so much easier to come to the dentist now."

Doctor Lieberman advises his patients to take CoQ10. He says it helps teeth and all cells of the body work better. Also, research from the Journal of the American Dental Association shows Vitamin D deficiencies in pregnant women can lead to tooth decay in their babies.

For more information, contact:

Larry Lieberman, DDS
General, Cosmetic, and Laser Dentistry
Palm Harbor, Fla.
727-785-8017
liebermandds@tampabay.rr.com