# The Life Saving routine Dental Visit **URL:** \ **Category:** Dental\ **Created:** [May 15, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739 "2026-05-15T15:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizanne](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/lizanne/32/4721_2.png) [@Lizanne](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/Lizanne)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/1 "2026-05-15T15:28:11Z")
Dental visits are often linked to hesitance and fear. Who says they are not scary? the vibrations of the airotor, fear of blood, pain etc..can make them feel traumatic. Regular dental visits not only lower the need for more invasive treatment but could also prove to be life saving. A 21 year old patient came for his routine bi-annual dental check up. During oral examination the dentist noted **Pallor** of the mucosa.When dug deeper the patient complained of **fatigue** with simple tasks which he could perform with ease earlier and an increase in the frequency of bouts of cold. He turned an ignorant eye as there were no other significant complains.The dentist suspected Anemia and called for a routine blood work up. The blood workup revealed **high levels of WBC** , **low hemoglobin as well as RBCs and low platelets**.The \*\*peripheral blood smear showed and abnormal population of immature WBCs chiefly Myeloblasts.\*\*Hence a diagnosis of **Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)** was made. The patient was then referred to the tertiary care centre for treatment. AML is a rapidly progressing malignancy and turns fatal if not intervened on time.Leukemia can present with various oral findings: Pallor, bleeding gums, gingival enlargement (classic bluisg-red) and sometimes ulcerations. In the above case the vigilance of the dentist and decision to investigate further, indeed proved to be **LIFESAVING**. **Have you as clinicians been able to turn your patients dental visits into lifesaving quests? Share your experience** MBH/PS ---
**Author:** ![Arushi522002](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/arushi522002/32/3700_2.png) [@Arushi522002](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/Arushi522002)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/3 "2026-05-15T16:36:58Z")
Made me realise the importance of dental health ---
**Author:** ![Dr.AmulyaThota\_16](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/dr.amulyathota_16/32/4652_2.png) [@Dr.AmulyaThota\_16](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/Dr.AmulyaThota_16)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/4 "2026-05-15T16:40:52Z")
Well said Lizanne . I have recently experienced something similar to this , a middle aged male patient has come for scaling , we can think what could go wrong with a simple ultrasonic scaling , he had very little calculus , a single + , but the moment the scaling started there was profuse bleeding . The procedure was immediately stopped and a surgical profile and complete blood picture was prescribed . Guess what ? DIAGNOSIS – APLASTIC ANEMIA ! PLATELET COUNT – THE ZERO COUNT ! Dental visits can help us diagnose sometimes the most serious disorders . It’s our responsibility as dentists to look for signs and symptoms . ---
**Author:** ![VanditaRaj](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/vanditaraj/32/4647_2.png) [@VanditaRaj](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/VanditaRaj)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/5 "2026-05-15T17:51:44Z")
As many systemic diseases manifest in the oral cavity. Regular visits to a dentist can be indicative of systemic health of an individual. Conditions like HIV, leukemia, diabetes and many more can manifest in the oral cavity. ---
**Author:** ![drpoonam](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/drpoonam/32/4682_2.png) [@drpoonam](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/drpoonam)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:31am UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/6 "2026-05-16T05:31:51Z")
A Very good catch. And I do feel people needs to be aware about Dentistry, that it isn’t just about teeth. Kudos to you guys. ---
**Author:** ![nainasharda5](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex033/user_avatar/www.medboundhub.com/nainasharda5/32/4668_2.png) [@nainasharda5](https://www.medboundhub.com/u/nainasharda5)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 10:17am UTC](https://www.medboundhub.com/t/the-life-saving-routine-dental-visit/18739/7 "2026-05-22T10:17:00Z")
Indeed !! Diabetes etc are very commonly identified by dentist during routine examination