Seeing a dentist is a critical step towards excellent oral health. Your oral health determines your overall well-being. You can schedule regular dentist visits for routine checkups, examinations, and professional teeth cleaning. However, you should visit a dentist immediately if you notice anything wrong with your teeth, mouth, jawbone, or other structures and tissues within your mouth. Understanding the early signs of an oral or dental problem is crucial in preventing severe issues affecting your teeth's appearance, strength, and functionality. Here are some tooth problems that, if experienced, should compel you to see a dentist right away:
A Persistent Toothache
A toothache is a common sign that something is wrong with your tooth, gums, or jawbone. You have a toothache when you experience pain in or around a tooth or jaw. This pain can come from various issues, including infection, tooth decay, or damaged dental restoration. It can also be an indication of something severe, like oral cancer or a dental abscess. A toothache can be a dull pain, a constant ache, or a sharp pain in or around a particular tooth. Some toothaches are accompanied by gum swelling, tooth sensitivity, fever, and chills.
You should visit your dentist immediately after you experience a persistent toothache, that is, pain that lasts more than a day. If the pain is severe, seek medical help even if you experience it for only a few hours. A dentist will examine your tooth, or the area where you are experiencing pain, and the adjacent teeth to determine the cause of the pain. Ignoring a toothache is not advisable, as the pain can escalate quickly, as can the underlying issue. For example, if you experience a toothache because of a developing cavity, the cavity continues to increase as you ignore the toothache.
Also, an ignored toothache can escalate into a significant health issue that affects your entire body. For example, if the cause is a dental abscess, an infection on a tooth can travel to the rest of your body if left untreated.
Tooth Sensitivity
Sensitivity is a sharp pain or discomfort you temporarily experience when the dentin, or second layer of your teeth, is exposed to external factors. Generally, a natural tooth is protected by a strong enamel, which protects the nerves and other underlying structures from exposure and damage. If the enamel is damaged, the next layer, which is not as strong as the enamel, becomes exposed, leaving your tooth susceptible to sensitivity, staining, and nerve damage. Tooth sensitivity can be triggered by cold, sweet, or acidic drinks and foods. Sometimes, you experience some pain or discomfort when brushing your teeth.
Tooth sensitivity should not be ignored as it indicates an underlying problem that can escalate into a major dental or oral problem. Sensitivity can indicate that your tooth is damaged. It could be a minor crack or a large cavity that has exposed the inner parts of your teeth. Your teeth can also be sensitive to enamel erosion. A skilled dentist will examine your teeth to determine the cause of the sensitivity and develop a treatment plan. If you have a cavity, they can treat it using a dental filling, root canal treatment, or dental crown, depending on its severity. Fluoride treatment can help in cases of enamel erosion.
Bleeding or Swollen Gums
Although your gums are soft and sensitive, they should not bleed easily, even when you brush and floss your teeth. Bleeding and swollen gums indicate something is wrong with the gums, your teeth, or your oral health. Your gums can bleed during or after brushing if you use a hard-bristle toothbrush or are aggressive. If you visit your dentist with the issue, they will recommend a soft brush that can effectively clean your teeth and be gentle on your soft tissues. They will also teach you safe brushing techniques to protect your gums and teeth from damage.
If you are gentle when brushing and are using the right toothbrush, bleeding or swollen gums can happen if you have gingivitis. This is a gum inflammation that is caused by harmful oral bacteria. The bacteria react with food remains to cause an acidic reaction in the mouth. The acid creates a buildup on your gums and teeth, which hardens later into tartar, and continues to inflame your gums and weaken your cavity. Gingivitis eventually becomes gum disease, which affects your gums and could cause your teeth to fall out.
Your gums can also bleed due to hormonal changes, certain medications, inadequate vitamins in the body, and some underlying medical conditions like diabetes. You should visit your dentist immediately if you notice a problem with your gums to determine their cause and start treatment.
Bad Breath or Halitosis
Halitosis, or bad breath, happens when you have an unpleasant odor from your mouth. It can occur due to infections, gum disease, dry mouth, or an underlying medical condition like diabetes. Halitosis affects your confidence because you constantly worry about how others perceive you. Some conditions that cause it also require immediate treatment to prevent them from worsening and affecting your oral health and general well-being. You should visit a dentist immediately if you notice, or are told you have bad breath.
After examining your teeth, gums, and other parts of your mouth, your dentist can recommend good oral hygiene habits to improve your oral health. This includes brushing twice and flossing daily. Your dentist can also recommend avoiding foods that affect your breath, like spices, garlic, and high-protein foods.
If your dentist diagnoses you with an underlying condition like gum disease or oral infection, they will recommend immediate treatment. This prevents the condition from worsening and takes care of the bad breath. If you have an underlying medical condition like diabetes, your dentist will recommend managing it to improve the bad breath.
Some home remedies, like increasing your water intake, can also improve your breath. Your dentist can also advise quitting some harmful habits like smoking, which causes a dry mouth, which is one of the leading causes of halitosis.
White Spots on the Teeth
If you notice white spots on your teeth, you should see a dentist immediately for quick diagnosis and treatment. White spots can indicate various dental problems, some that are mild and others severe. For example, your teeth can develop white spots due to demineralization, or the natural loss of minerals. Minerals like calcium and phosphate are essential as they strengthen the enamel, your tooth’s strong outer part. When your enamel starts losing these vital minerals, it weakens and can result in enamel erosion or cavities, which expose your tooth’s underlying structures.
Enamel demineralization can happen if your teeth are exposed to too much acid, mainly the acid produced by harmful oral bacteria when you consume starchy and sugary foods. It puts your teeth at risk of cavities, which affect their look, functionality, and strength. Your dentist will recommend treatment depending on the cause of your white spots. For example, they can remineralize your teeth to strengthen the enamel and reduce your risk of tooth damage and cavities. They can also recommend increased calcium and good oral hygiene habits in your diet.
A quick intervention is recommended when you notice white spots on your teeth before your teeth become severely damaged. Demineralization is treatable and preventable.
Loose Teeth
Permanent natural teeth are firm. When your teeth become loose or wobbly, you should allow a dentist to determine the cause and the best solution. Dentists act fast to save natural teeth. However, a delay in seeking treatment can result in a missing tooth. Additionally, a wobbly tooth will not look, feel, or function well. Immediate treatment is recommended to restore its strength and appearance.
Your teeth can become loose if you have gum disease. This dental condition starts as gingivitis and can progress to gum or periodontal disease if not treated promptly. It affects the gums, widening the gum pockets and affecting the support of your natural teeth. Eventually, your teeth become wobbly and start falling out. However, a competent dentist can treat gum disease and restore your teeth's natural support before they fall out.
Your teeth can also become loose in case of a fall or severe blow to your face or mouth. Dentists advise visiting their office right after this happens to restore the tooth and take the necessary precautions to prevent an infection.
Advanced tooth decay can also cause your teeth to become loose. If your dentist cannot save the affected tooth, they can recommend extraction and restoration using a dental implant, bridge, or crown.
Changes in Your Teeth’s Appearance
Although natural teeth are not sparkly white, they are beautiful and strong. However, their appearance can change over time, due to the foods and drinks you consume, or how well you care for them. Your teeth can become dull, stained, or discolored over time if you do not take good care of them. While this happens gradually, you can notice changes as days pass. Dentists advise seeking help immediately if you notice some changes in your teeth.
Stained or discolored teeth affect your smile, confidence, and oral hygiene. The stains could be extrinsic or intrinsic, depending on the cause. Sometimes, buildup from harmful oral bacteria affects our teeth’s appearance. Fortunately, dentists have many solutions for stained or dull teeth.
Your dentist can recommend professional teeth cleaning to remove stains and buildup that could have affected your teeth’s appearance. Teeth whitening is also a standard solution to restore or improve your teeth. These are safe solutions, and you can improve your smile and confidence.
Additionally, your dentist will recommend home care tips to keep your teeth beautiful. For example, they can advise you to moderate the amount of staining foods and drinks, like grapes, wine, coffee, and tea. Your dentist can also discourage overconsumption of sugary and starchy foods that encourage the growth of harmful bacteria that cause buildup on your teeth and gums. Your dentist will also recommend routine dental checkups, examinations, and professional cleaning at least twice yearly to maintain a beautiful smile.
Impacted Tooth
An impacted tooth does not erupt normally as a naturally developing tooth. Instead, it gets stuck in the gum and will not erupt fully to occupy its rightful position in the mouth. Teeth become impacted when there is insufficient space on the gums for all the developing teeth. This condition primarily affects the wisdom teeth because they are usually the last to develop. An impacted tooth becomes painful, and the gum area around it becomes sore and can become infected.
Some impacted teeth do not cause any symptoms. However, most result in swelling, pain, and gum inflammation. Others push their way out of the gum and damage the adjacent teeth.
The first symptom of impacted teeth is pain. You could feel soreness around the gum where the teeth are affected. That should be your cue to seek immediate treatment. A dentist will first examine your teeth and gums to determine the cause of pain and soreness. They can conduct an X-ray examination to determine the actual condition of the tooth. Treatment for impacted teeth is, in most cases, extraction. A surgical tooth extraction by an oral surgeon will ensure that the tooth is carefully and effectively removed to avoid further problems.
Find a Skilled Dentist Near Me
Taking good care of your teeth goes beyond brushing and flossing daily. It also includes watching out for symptoms that indicate a problem with your teeth, gums, or jawbone. Pain, sensitivity, and changes in appearance are some of the common issues you should watch out for. Dentists are trained and experienced to diagnose and treat various dental and oral problems to ensure excellent oral health and general well-being.
At Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles, we recommend regular visits to the dentist’s office for routine check-ups and examinations. You could miss some dental issues, which can escalate into severe conditions. We also conduct professional teeth cleaning to remove stains, buildups, stuck foods, and debris that can affect oral health. You can visit our Santa Clarita office immediately if you experience a problem that could indicate something is wrong with your teeth. Call us at 661-775-7717 for more information about your oral health and our services.
