Alex Rodriguez Encourages Followers to Visit Dentist Following Recent Health Discovery

Former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez recently revealed his early-stage gum disease diagnosis.

[{"selector":"#anim-2ef6e2b0-3cfe-41ef-b918-ef45e75e184e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-999699d3-8c16-4be3-9020-d751a6aa0ea7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(119.71831%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b25827fd-d01b-488b-8104-0f2f3c58f61c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

He made the unexpected announcement on CBS News, using his situation to encourage others to visit the dentist regularly.

[{"selector":"#anim-bdf58c30-0426-4cf6-9a84-365021f5471a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5538c103-5e72-422f-82a2-e9cd9d788f5c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(121.83098%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e303833d-2c60-44e0-839b-d17feb4d311f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Rodriguez mentioned that over 65 million Americans are affected by gum disease.

[{"selector":"#anim-43d37027-0c24-4de0-a6d2-b2f31123cb15","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-20ee18f1-8e87-41e0-af2e-b15c91defb1c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.58442%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bd464ea7-b907-4c62-8e1f-6cdc373527f0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

He admitted to frequently chewing sunflower seeds, but never tobacco, during his baseball career.

[{"selector":"#anim-79f7b75e-084e-4d68-98ec-7e81b3bb6214","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d4320554-35ba-4210-9ab7-a03312b64a00","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.37910%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-869840dc-4ebc-447f-95d1-f50a1559b898","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Following his diagnosis, Rodriguez partnered with health products company OraPharma to raise awareness about gum disease.

[{"selector":"#anim-0bd975c4-77e9-4f04-82d5-dedd3a82ef60","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aeb00999-a8d8-4e14-8808-69bec447a2b6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.23179%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5c180399-c1be-43d5-9eec-1602442377d1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The former player also revealed his new girlfriend, Jaclyn Cordeiro, following his breakup with Jennifer Lopez.

[{"selector":"#anim-cbcb385b-8972-4dd9-9c46-e8e9e2865e07","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-33a34fb0-28c0-41bf-9a97-08bc1f1d0ecf","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(120.13652%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bb45b2cd-7854-4bca-85d1-44ded2f1ac9f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Rodriguez's former high school and Yankees teammate, Doug Mientkiewicz, commented on A-Rod's tendency to have brief relationships.

[{"selector":"#anim-476d4417-f3e7-41ca-bb35-c280a4582aa4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-393040a3-eadd-4905-bbe2-a45ca2627444","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.80263%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-73de2ab5-98c7-43b7-871c-f658c82eabac","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Mientkiewicz suggested Rodriguez has been disconnected from his high school peers despite their ongoing communication.

[{"selector":"#anim-f5ba3869-0053-4758-8dd6-2b0330b8f126","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9501d578-4222-4702-88d9-3c97071cc764","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(132.82443%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ff04a00b-dc44-49bb-bd94-60ef59d74134","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

He also touched on Rodriguez's steroid scandal and expressed disappointment over his former teammate's actions.

[{"selector":"#anim-71145d5a-5e0a-47db-8757-85a53b318d34","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aeb30087-cace-44b0-bdbf-1c6790c42404","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.53399%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ce007992-d02e-4a17-b921-2cbd57aeac95","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Rodriguez, who spent 22 seasons in MLB and over a decade with the Yankees, is now an MLB analyst for Fox Sports and CEO of A-Rod Corp.

[{"selector":"#anim-51854e66-18e7-4edf-912c-68f5d6f2de77","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-77fff962-fa8d-473b-b11f-9453eefc75ba","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(117.07318%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-70c1ef0b-048e-42ad-a9fd-1f2186f3f4de","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more