Systemic Conditions

Oral health means much more than beautiful teeth. It means freedom from chronic oral-facial pain, oral and throat cancers, oral soft tissue lesions, birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, and other diseases and disorders that affect the craniofacial complex. These are tissues whose functions are often taken for granted but are essential to the quality of our daily living. They allow us to speak, smile, sigh, and kiss; smell, taste, touch, chew, and swallow; cry out in pain; convey feelings and emotions through facial expressions; and do well at school and at work. They also provide protection against microbial infections and environmental insults. These functions can be applicable to the foods we choose to eat, our social interactions, our employment opportunities, and our self-esteem. [1]