Maintaining good dental health is critical for general well-being, and routine dental visits for checkups are essential to help detect any possible dental-related problems before they worsen. Additionally, embracing a proactive attitude and practicing proper dental hygiene can prevent many prevalent dental problems from developing. This blog explores common dental issues that a routine dental visit and care can assist in preventing.
Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is a severe condition that can occur in any part of the mouth, including the throat, gums, lips, and tongue. It is most prevalently caused by alcohol and tobacco use but is also caused by exposure to the HPV (human papillomavirus). It is essential to quit smoking, practice safe sex, and limit alcohol consumption to avert oral cancer.
Routine dental exams are essential for early oral cancer detection. Dental professionals undergo training to detect, through oral cancer screenings, abnormal oral tissue, throat, and mouth changes. Through regular dental care, your dentist can monitor suspicious symptoms and signs and refer you for further assessment and treatment.
Teeth Grinding
Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding can result in various dental issues, including jaw pain, worn-out teeth, and tooth fractures. Regular dental checkups enable the dentist to identify symptoms of teeth grinding and recommend appropriate interventions. They might suggest using a mouthguard to safeguard the teeth and minimize the impacts of bruxism.
Tooth Sensitivity
Tooth sensitivity refers to pain or discomfort when drinking or eating cold or hot drinks or foods, flossing, or brushing. It is a prevalent problem that impacts millions of people in the United States, affecting their daily lives by making easy tasks like drinking, eating, and exposure to cold temperatures uncomfortable. Generally, this problem arises due to dentin exposure. Dentin refers to the porous tissue underneath the enamel, which contains small tubes leading to the tooth's nerve center.
Different factors might play a role in dentin exposure. They include enamel erosion due to overzealous brushing, acidic foods, teeth cracking (thus creating openings to the nerve), tooth cavities, and gums receding (leaving the root of the tooth unprotected).
The strategy for relieving tooth sensitivity includes professional treatments and self-care techniques meant to reduce pain and protect teeth against more damage. To prevent this problem, your dentist may recommend watching your diet. They will recommend avoiding beverages and foods known to increase sensitivity, especially those extremely acidic, hot, or cold, so you can prevent the condition from worsening. The dentist may also recommend flossing and brushing regularly using a soft-bristled toothbrush, rinsing with mouthwash, and desensitizing toothpaste to prevent pain signals from the tooth's surface from reaching the nerve.
Regular dental appointments can help address this problem by determining the root cause, such as enamel erosion, gum recession, or tooth decay. If self-care techniques are not enough, your dentist will intervene. They can recommend treatment options such as bonding resins to protect exposed tooth root surfaces, fluoride varnishes to protect the enamel, or crowns to enclose and protect the tooth. These treatments address the primary cause of tooth sensitivity, providing relief and enabling you to enjoy various drinks and foods.
Gum Disease
Gum disease refers to a bacterial infection that impacts the tissues supporting your teeth. It is caused by plaque accumulation along the gumline that can result in discomfort and inflammation. Gum disease starts as a seemingly inconsequential condition that usually goes unnoticed. If left untreated, gum disease can result in tooth and bone loss. Gingivitis is a mild stage of gum disease, while periodontitis is a severe form.
The primary signs of gingivitis infection include inflamed, delicate gums that bleed when flossing or brushing. Some people may downplay these symptoms as merely inconveniences, not understanding the risks of progression to periodontitis, which is more severe and harmful. This can ultimately cause tooth loss and damage the jawbone.
Preventing gingivitis or periodontal disease or stalling its advancement requires meticulous dental hygiene. It is critical to floss and brush regularly to remove plaque, stop smoking, and eat healthy foods.
Despite home care practices, you should see your dental professional regularly for professional cleanings and check-ups. These procedures assist in removing solidified tartar and plaque buildup that flossing and brushing cannot reach and offer dental professionals a chance to detect early gum disease symptoms usually ignored at home, lowering its chances of developing. Dental professionals can also give proper dental hygiene techniques to effectively manage or prevent gum disease.
Where gum disease has worsened, your dentist may recommend further treatments beyond the usual cleanings, such as root planing and scaling. This comprehensive cleaning technique assists in removing tartar and plaque from beneath the gum line and smoothens the tooth roots to facilitate reattachment of the gums to the teeth. Combining these therapeutic and preventive actions is crucial for safeguarding gum health and the general stability of the oral environment.
If you experience signs of gum disease, like bad breath, receding gums, or bleeding gums, you must see your dental professional as soon as possible.
Bad Breath
Halitosis, or persistent bad breath, is a prevalent issue impacting many people. This condition could arise from various factors, including gum disease and particular medical conditions. It could also occur due to poor oral hygiene, whereby food particles and bacterial accumulation lead to an unpleasant mouth odor.
Lifestyle choices, especially smoking and particular dietary preferences like consuming coffee, onions, and garlic, can further aggravate halitosis. Health conditions such as dry mouth could also exacerbate bad breath by preventing saliva production, impeding the mouth's natural cleansing process, and encouraging a conducive environment for bad breath.
Halitosis can be embarrassing and can be a sign of underlying dental issues. To prevent halitosis, it is essential to floss and brush your teeth and gums regularly to remove trapped food particles between teeth, stay hydrated, and regularly use antibacterial mouthwash to minimize bacteria.
Cleaning the tongue, usually a hotbed for bacterial accumulation, using a scraper or brush is also essential. Most importantly, schedule regular dental visits for cleanings and check-ups. Deep cleanings can assist in eliminating plaque and bacteria contributing to halitosis. Your dentist can also spot other oral health problems, like dry mouth or gum disease, which might be causing bad breath.
If halitosis does not go away despite trying the above methods, your dental professional can provide special treatment and guidance. This may reveal concealed problems, such as infections or gum disease, that have contributed to persistent bad breath. By practicing these corrective and preventive techniques, you can battle persistent bad breath and boost your general oral health.
Tooth Decay
Dental cavities, otherwise called caries or tooth decay, continually threaten oral health. They are among the most common dental issues worldwide. They arise when harmful mouth bacteria produce acids that erode the enamel. Symptoms of dental caries can include sensitivity to sweets and temperature fluctuations, noticeable dark spots on teeth, and varying degrees of discomfort. If not treated immediately, the damage might progress, resulting in severe repercussions, including severe toothaches, infection in the tooth pulp, and ultimate tooth loss.
An effective preventive approach is crucial to counter dental decay. To avert this issue, you should practice a rigorous dental hygiene routine. This includes brushing your teeth at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and flossing once daily to remove plaque and food particles from interdental spaces. You should also limit acidic and sugary drinks and foods to reduce the chances of tooth decay.
Also, visit your dental professional routinely for checkups and cleanings. Routine visits for checkups and cleanings allow your dental professional to detect and treat initial tooth decay symptoms, preventing further damage and the necessity for extensive treatments.
If you have already developed dental cavities, several treatments are available. These include dental fillings to restore the tooth and more complex procedures such as root canal therapy or dental canal placement for extensively damaged teeth. Proactively managing dental caries protects dental functionality and health and enhances holistic wellness.
Dental Trauma
Injury or accident can lead to dental trauma, such as knocked-out, cracked, or chipped teeth. By scheduling regular dental visits, any dental-related trauma can immediately be addressed. Immediate intervention can increase the odds of saving your tooth and minimize the chances of complications.
Xerostomia (Dry Mouth)
Xerostomia, commonly called dry mouth, is usually regarded as a trivial disturbance, although it has profound repercussions on dental and oral health in general. A drop in saliva production impedes the mouth's natural protection against diseases and degradation.
Saliva has several functions in terms of oral health. First, it helps in the digestion process. Second, it serves as a constant purifier, neutralizing harmful bacteria-generated acids and removing leftover food debris. Without enough saliva, the risk of dental caries significantly increases.
Several elements contribute to xerostomia, including medical conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome, particular medications that cause decreased saliva flow as a side effect, lifestyle decisions, and the natural aging process. If you have a dry mouth, you might notice non-stop dryness, difficulty swallowing and chewing, and a change in taste sensation.
Preventing the effect of xerostomia requires various strategies. Regular dental visits help your dental professional detect this condition early and advise how to help stop it. They may recommend increasing water intake for hydration. Hydration stimulates the production of saliva and maintains hydration.
The dentist may also encourage chewing on sugarless gum to trigger saliva generation, which can provide temporary relief. If you have chronic xerostomia, your dentist may recommend specially developed synthetic saliva or an oral hydrator, which can offer lasting solutions.
Overlooking xerostomia will jeopardize oral and dental health by increasing the risk of infections and cavities and affecting the general quality of life and comfort. Thus, proactive approaches, via lifestyle changes and a dentist’s advice, are essential for protecting oral and general health.
Failed Implant
Dental implants are among the best modern advances in dentistry. They enable dental professionals to replace damaged or decayed teeth up to their roots, something any treatment may not achieve.
An implant can last many years if properly placed and taken care of. However, some reasons may lead to an implant failing. These are:
- Poor positioning of the original implant
- Infections due to poor oral hygiene
- Insufficient jaw bone volume
- Trauma
- Systemic or underlying conditions like smoking or diabetes
If a reputable and skilled dental professional installs your dental implant, it is highly unlikely to fail on its own. In that case, the highly likely cause would be poor dental hygiene or trauma. Flossing and brushing your teeth is always crucial, even if you have dental implants. Gingivitis or periodontitis can also weaken the dental implant and cause it to fail.
Regular dental visits will enable your dental professional to track whether or not your treatment with dental implants was successful. If there are signs of the implant failing, your dentist can advise you on how to rectify that, for example, by maintaining proper oral health. Alternatively, the dentist may suggest that the placement process be repeated for quality results.
Find a Professional Dentist Near Me
Maintaining good dental health is crucial for general health, and preventing prevalent dental issues can help keep your smile bright and healthy. By flossing and brushing regularly, eating healthily, and regularly visiting your dental professional for deep cleanings and check-ups, you can keep your gums and teeth in perfect shape and avoid possible problems or address them before they worsen. If you have concerns regarding oral health, do not hesitate to call your dental professional for treatment and advice.
At Washington Dental, we are available 24/7 to address any of the above-discussed prevalent dental problems and other dental procedures for patients who require them in Los Angeles, Torrance, Lomita, and Carson. During your regular checkup, we will examine your oral health thoroughly to determine if you have a dental issue, and if you do, start addressing it immediately. If you do not have a dental problem, we will advise you on preventive measures so you can keep on having good oral health. Call us today at 310-217-1507 to schedule your visit. Your dental comfort and oral health are our number one priority.
