Many of us rarely visit the dentist, especially as we grow older. This is because we tend to think that our teeth and oral health is at its peaks and cannot be compromised.
Often, when we do visit the dentist, it’s because we suffer from toothache or a tooth wants to fall off. However, did you know that your oral health could be a sign of your general health as well? This makes regularly visiting your dentist more important.
Here are a few reasons and signs that you may need to visit your family dentist:
Regular Migraines
Many people may not be aware that the cause of their migraines could be an oral problem. Tooth grinding can cause regular and constant migraines. This is because grinding your teeth exerts pressure on the tempo mandibular joints on the sides of your head. What’s worse is that pain killers may not solve the problem.
Fortunately, by visiting a top-notch dentist, such as the dentists at Family Dental Health Center, you can get a stabilization splint that’s customized to your mouth. This will prevent you from grinding your teeth, helping you stop migraines.
Pain When Chewing
Several reasons could cause you to experience pain when chewing food.
First is when you experienced trauma to the mouth region, resulting in a crack on your tooth. This exposes the dentine, making the tooth sensitive and painful when chewing. Another reason is tooth decay, which could cause the enamel or top layer of the tooth to tear off, exposing the dentine.
Whichever the reason, when you feel pain when chewing, immediately seek dental attention.
Morning Fatigue
One of the main reasons for regularly experiencing fatigue and tiredness in the morning is sleep apnea.
Often, people wouldn’t associate sleep apnea with oral problems. However, if you’re clenching your teeth when you’re sleeping, this could cause your airways to block, which interrupts your breathing.
Your dentist will look into this and determine if your teeth clenching has anything to do with you being overly tired when you wake up.
Bad Breath
If you have bad breath that doesn’t seem to go away even after regular brushing of teeth, then this is a sign of an underlying problem. While this could be anything from sinus infections to respiratory tract infections, it could also be an oral infection.
Bad breath could be caused by an infection, dry mouth, or even poor hygiene. The dentist will be able to identify the root cause of the bad breath and treat it.
Changing of the Saliva
Another factor that could cause you to need the services of a dentist is if you start noticing changes in your saliva. This could be caused by several factors, all of which warrant a visit to the dentist; or the use of liquid tests via 2 ml Serological Pipettes.
If your saliva, for instance, is starting to thicken or you’ve started to notice that it’s becoming thinner, then the dentist can help pinpoint the root cause of the problem and advice the right type of treatment.
There Are Bumps or Nodules Inside Your Mouth
Often, when we experience a bump or a nodule, or even something strange growing inside of our mouth, we hardly think about the dentist and seek out a physician or doctor instead.
However, the dentist may be able to point out any infections or problems inside your mouth. For instance, a blocked salivary gland could cause an infection that may cause you to have bad breath.
Pain in the Ears
If you’re experiencing a constant ringing or pain in your ears, this could be caused by an oral problem.
First off, if your temporal mandibular jaw is not functioning properly due to teeth grinding, then this could translate to pain in your ears. Secondly, if you have a tooth infection, then the damaged nerves could refer the pain to your ears.
The dentist can examine your oral health. In case there’s an infection, they’ll also provide the best treatment.
Strange Teeth Colors
If you have extremely yellow or brown teeth, this could affect your confidence and self-esteem. One result could be you not liking to smile, which is a good enough reason to visit the dentist.
The dentist may be able to clean out the teeth, leaving them white and sparkling. They may also recommend the best care for your teeth, helping restore your smile and natural confidence.
Receding Gums
Receding gums affects millions of people around the world. One of the major causes is bone loss, exposing your mouth to infections. That said, receding gums could also be caused by many other factors, such as:
- Periodontal disease: This is a bacterial infection that eats away your gums and bone, resulting in gum recession.
- Insufficient oral care: Failing to brush your teeth regularly or visiting the dentist could expose you to bacteria that could cause gum disease.
- Genetics: Some people are predisposed to gum recession and could experience gum recession simply because of their genes.
- Excessive brushing: If you brush your teeth too aggressively, then this could cause injury to the gum tissue, causing gum recession.
A visit to the dentist will help reveal the root cause of the problem and get proper treatment.
Wearing Out of Teeth
Have you noticed that your teeth are wearing out at a rapid state? The reason for this might be clenching and grinding your teeth. The cause for clenching and grinding could be many things, including temporal mandibular issues.
The dentist will evaluate your mouth, jaws, teeth, and gums, and inform you of what the problem is and the best course of action and treatment.
Bleeding Gums
If you’ve been noticing blood on your toothbrush or whenever you spit saliva, this is a sure sign of bleeding gums, which is caused by gum disease.
It’s best to seek immediate medical attention from the dentist because gum disease can also result in many other health issues, such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
Luckily, your dentist will offer the right medication to help get rid of the infection, hence gum disease can be effectively treated.
Final Word
While we often only see the dentist when we have issues with our teeth, many other serious problems are directly related to our oral health – from teeth grinding and sleep apnea to receding and bleeding gums.
By making regular visits to the dentist, you can curb the problems in their early stages and ensure healthy, sparkling teeth.