Dental Problems - Dentaler People often take their teeth for granted. They shouldn’t that to something that is so multi-faceted – they convey emotions, eat, and help them talk clearly. It’s often one of the first things that is noticed at a first meeting, aside from attire, and that opinion can be hard to sway. Teeth are far from indestructible, which is why it’s important to know what go wrong with them.

Here are some common signs of tooth problems that one should be aware of so that they can avoid one or more of these dental emergencies:

Symptoms

  • Abscess or Toothache – Cavities,from tooth decay, and gum disease tend to be the most common reasons for a toothache. If you also have a fever, then chances are that it’s an abscess… and your dentist may have to give you antibiotics.
  • Bad Breath – There’s morning breath, which tends to go away after brushing. Then there’s this, which lingers. There are several reasons this can happen – poor saliva production, cancer, or even possibly an infection. Focus on adhering to a good brushing and flossing routine and if that doesn’t help, go see a dentist.
  • Bleeding or Sore Gums – You brush and floss… and see blood in the sink. It might be easily correctable by easing up on your brushing motion or flossing every day. Don’t dismiss it, since you can get gum disease or worse – possible infection and tooth loss.
  • Cracked Teeth – Your teeth are extremely strong – they have to be to withstand all the biting and chewing that you do. As mentioned above though, they are not indestructible. Having fillings that are too large or biting down on a lot of hard candy or ice cubes can damage them. Your dentist may do a tooth extraction or a root canal, depending on how badly they are cracked.
  • Discolored Teeth – Teeth can get stained for many reasons: Aging, the dentin in one’s teeth disappeaing, resulting in darker teeth. Heavy coffee or tea drinkers may see yellow teeth. Drugstores sell a variety of whitening solutions or you can go to the dentist for an even faster way.
  • Dry Mouth – Certain illnesses and types of medication can be the cause of this. It’s important to fix this because saliva plays a huge part in preventing gum disease and the lack of it opens the door for infection.
  • Jaw Pain or Cracking – Getting to the root of this can be difficult – there are a lot of reasons this can happen- from arthritis to TMJ. Your dentist may need X-Rays to be able to be able to properly diagnose the reason.
  • Mouth Sores – This is where less is good  – eating large quantities of a food can cause sores. Illness and irritation from braces can also cause them to spring up. If the sore persists for longer than a week, see a dentist.
  • Sensitive Teeth – You tend to feel pain after drinking a hot or cold beverage. Cracked teeth or receding gums could be the cause. Drugstores sell toothpastes and mouthwashes that can treat the symptoms.

Treatment

See a dental professional as soon as possible. Waiting and hoping that it will improve can be disastrous because gum disease and infection can worsen at a frightening rate … and possinly become incurable. Depending on the severity, treatments can range from scaling and root planing (also known as “Deep Cleaning”)  to tooth extraction – which can lead to dental implants or dentures.

Prevention

You can give yourself the best chance of keeping any of these from possibly happening is adhering to proper oral hygiene. That means using the right brushing and flossing technique – flossing first, then two minutes of brushing, preferably with a toothbrush.

The staff at Dental Emergency Room has seen all of these situations and are well-versed in handling them. They can also give you tips on possibly avoiding them from reoccurring. If you live in the Clearwater, Florida area, call them at 727-449-2424.