If you experience a severe toothache or a knocked-out tooth, you know that you need to call your dentist right away. But some dental problems have less of an impact on your daily life and, therefore, seem less urgent. Yet these issues could mean you have major damage to your smile that will require emergency dental treatment from your dentist.
When you notice a change in your oral health, you should tell your dentist about it. Understanding the risk of ignoring these problems can help you make the swift decision to contact your dentist and preserve your smile. Read on to find three dental concerns that may need prompt dental attention.
3 Dental Issues That Could Point to Major Oral Health Problems
Tooth Sensitivity
If you bite into a sugary or cold food and feel a sharp jolt of pain in your tooth, you might suffer from tooth sensitivity. This occurs when the outer shell of the tooth, enamel, wears down, exposing the vulnerable interior structure of the tooth called dentin. Dentin contains nerves that transmit pain signals to the brain when stimulated. A bite of ice cream is one example of a stimulus that can cause this sensitivity pain.
Because this pain is often intermittent, many dental patients may ignore the issue. Pain of any kind, however, is abnormal, and tooth sensitivity might be a symptom of a larger dental problem.
When enamel erodes, it cannot regrow, and many people will need treatment from a dentist to relieve this discomfort. The enamel damage might also stem from issues like cavities that will need swift dental intervention or the decay may worsen. Seek prompt evaluation of this dental symptom to get the proper treatment to alleviate this pain.
Bleeding Gums
Sometimes acute problems like harsh teeth brushing might cause the gum tissue to bleed. But if gums continue to bleed, swell, or feel sore with no obvious cause, you might have gum disease.
This infection of the gums can cause inflammation, but the disease will advance without treatment from a dentist. It will reach the teeth and jaw, leaving irreversible damage that might result in tooth loss.
Your dentist can perform a periodontal disease screening if you let them know about this problem. Then, they can thoroughly clean your smile to get rid of the infection before it causes lasting harm. For more information on how we treat and diagnose gums that are bleeding, please visit Bleeding gums.
Chronic Bad Breath
Bad breath can affect the best of us, especially after eating a garlicky meal. But you can usually resolve this issue by brushing and flossing away lingering food particles in your smile. If bad breath persists after your oral hygiene routine, you might have a more extensive dental problem.
Underlying medical issues might leave you with chronic bad breath. However, advanced tooth decay and gum disease can also contribute to this unpleasant symptom. The odor might make you feel self-conscious, but ignoring it could put your oral health in danger. Call your dentist if this issue continues.