In the ancient systems of medicine, the body is not looked at as several different parts working together but as a single unit where systems and organs are deeply connected and interlinked with the other. According to acupuncture, which part of Chinese traditional medicine, your teeth are a representation of various parts of your body. Practitioners of this form of alternative medicine use something called a tooth meridian chart in order to help their practice.
The chart is based on pathways of energy or acupuncture meridians, which span across interrelated body parts, tissues, and glands. This approach also believes that every single tooth is connected to a specific meridian, through which energy flows.
Oral Health Is Overall Health
According to Chinese medicine, your mouth condition is a reflection of your overall health. A Chinese doctor in ancient times would examine the patient’s gums, teeth, oral cavity, and tongue before examining the rest of patient’s body. Any pain in the tooth illustrated the link between the teeth and other parts of the body along meridians. Sometimes when patients felt pain in a tooth that was already removed, it was taken as a sign that the organ linked to that tooth had a problem.
What Science Says
Modern science has also begun to look at teeth differently. According to a 2009 study published in the journal Dental Aegis, teeth were viewed as sensory organs. There are receptors connected to your teeth which respond when a force is applied to the teeth. They are responsible for the regulation of a sequence of neural activities when you eat. They also play a role in determining how fast and how hard you chew. while providing sensory feedback to your brain.
A group of Finnish researchers isolated the genes responsible for tooth development and concluded that the same genes play a role in the development of other body organs. Moreover, in the context of cellular growth and differentiation, genes included in organ development show the risk of cancer later in life. This means that there is a correlation between the abnormal development of a tooth and cancer.
Researchers also found a link between dental pulp bacteria and the development of breast cancer. In addition, chronic dental infections can lead to erectile dysfunction, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
A List Of Links Between Teeth And Organs
As per acupuncture, here’s a list of possible ailments that linked to your oral and dental health.
Canine teeth and incisors are on meridians, which are linked to the gallbladder, liver, and kidney.
Molars and bicuspids are on meridians linked to the stomach and large intestine.
Lower and upper incisor pain can be a sign of ear, bladder, and kidney infections. It could also indicate problems with the reproductive organs and lymphatic system.
Pain in the molar can be an indicator of rheumatism, bladder infections, intestinal and stomach ulcers, anemia, breast problems, hemorrhoids, chronic inflammation of the pancreas, or chronic gastritis.
Wisdom teeth are associated with the intestines, liver, heart, and central nervous system. Wisdom teeth pain can indicate headache high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, pain in the extremities, liver disease, or eczema.
Lower molar pain can be an indicator of colon polyps, varicose veins, or respiratory illness such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis.
Pain in the bottom canine teeth can be a sign of problems with the circulatory system, lung dysfunction, or atherosclerosis.
Fourth teeth pain (bottom and top) could suggest joint pain and joint diseases such as arthritis, large intestine, or lung problems.
Premolar or bicuspid teeth pain can be an indicator of colitis, an allergic reaction, pneumonia, or dysbacteriosis (intestinal flora imbalance).
Chronic canine teeth pain can indicate liver or gallbladder inflammation.
First incisor pain can suggest a tonsil or prostate infection.
While these links are indicators of health issues in your body, a toothache doesn’t have to necessarily mean that there is a health problem in other parts of your body. It could well be just a toothache. However, if the ache lingers, it may be a good idea to check the health of that part of the body which is linked to the tooth.
