Smile. You're On Candid Camera.

I went to the dentist yesterday. My insurance covers to visits a year and I take advantage of that.  

I really like my dentist and my hygienist.  Hubby used to coach football with dentist so he is more like a friend.  When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer and needed to have some dental work done he went to my dentist.

So, at this latest trip I knew I needed to have a set of xrays taken.  My hygienist told me that they no longer do the ones where they stick the little pieces of film in your mouth.  What??  What do they do then?  She said they now do it all at once.

You stand in front of this machine that reminds me of when you get your eyes tested.  You rest your chin on this thing and there is a piece that you bite down on.   There is another piece that then rotates around your head. It gets a picture of the entire bottom half of your skull. They can see your jaw and up into your sinus cavity.  Dentist said that this allows them to potentially see things that may be going on. He said that if my dad had been going to a dentist regularly they may have caught his cancer in the very early stages.  They can also see if there are issues with your sinuses.  

Years ago, I had read an article that said your dentist and eye doctor can tell more about your general overall health than your GP can. The eyes and mouth/gums can be the first places that health issue an show themselves.