Just like the other parts of your body, your teeth require proper care to stay healthy, attractive, and functional. Proper care is necessary, considering the teeth are under constant pressure from chewing, biting, and grinding. Additionally, aging can expose your teeth to wear and tear. For the best results, dentists recommend brushing and flossing your teeth properly and following other home dental care routines. Unfortunately, proper oral hygiene alone is not sufficient to protect you from oral issues. You will need to see your dentist twice annually and every time you experience an oral issue. Here are common dental problems that may be a sign you need to see your dental expert.
Continuous Toothache
One common tooth problem many people experience is sharp or continuous pain in or around a tooth that does not go away. In some cases, you might experience the pain only when you apply pressure to the tooth while chewing or biting. Tooth pain can stem from decay, cavities, tooth fracture, dental filling failure, or gum disease. Tooth pain can also manifest as a headache.
If the pain is severe, you can use over-the-counter painkillers to manage it before visiting the dentist for a checkup. Another way to alleviate the pain is to gargle warm saline water. If the toothache persists for 24 to 48 hours, it is time to see your dental care provider.
During your initial consultation with the dental expert, they will inquire about your medical and dental history to determine the best way to address your pain. Once your dental expert is familiar with your oral and medical history, they will conduct a thorough evaluation of your teeth and gingiva tissue to establish the severity of your symptoms. Questions about the level of pain follow the examination, how long you have been experiencing it, the location of the pain, and if you experience it throughout the day, when sleeping, or when eating. After you answer these questions, the dentist will examine other areas around the mouth, such as the neck, gum tissues, jaw, and throat, to determine the cause of the toothache.
After an accurate diagnosis, your dental expert will administer the appropriate treatment based on the cause of your tooth pain. If the pain is due to tooth decay, a minor fracture, or a cavity, they will administer a dental filling contingent on the extent of the damage. If the pain stems from a root canal failure, pulpitis, a tooth fracture, or decay that extends to the pulp, an extraction will be the best option, after which you will discuss the most appropriate restorative solution for the extracted tooth. Another solution is a root canal. It is used when decay or a tooth fracture has damaged the pulp.
Are there measures one can take to prevent tooth pain? Yes. Most causes of tooth pain, such as decay or cavities, stem from poor oral hygiene and a poor diet. So, if you can avoid or limit sugary foods and maintain excellent oral hygiene, the risk of a toothache will be minimal.
Dental Cavities
Cavities are tiny or large holes that develop in the tooth enamel. Your teeth comprise three layers, including the enamel, dentin, and pulp. The enamel is the tooth surface and is the hardest. The second layer is the dentin, while the third is the pulp or core. The pulp houses the living tissue of the tooth, including blood vessels and nerves.
When you consume sugary foods frequently or fail to remove plaque consistently through routine brushing and flossing, plaque builds up on your teeth. The harmful bacteria in the mouth feed on plaque and sugar, producing acidic toxins that corrode the enamel and form tiny holes called cavities. Continued collision of the holes enlarges and deepens them. The cavities develop silently without causing any pain, which is why many patients discover the condition when it has progressed.
Knowing how to identify the signs of dental cavities, or caries, is crucial for their prevention or control. In the early stages, caries have no visible symptoms. However, as the holes become larger, you might start to notice them. As they extend to the dentin and pulp, you might start experiencing tooth sensitivity or sharp pain when you consume hot or cold substances. Pain when biting, tiny holes, or stains in the mouth are other manifestations of dental caries.
If you start experiencing these symptoms, it means the cavities have reached the dentin or the pulp, and soon, harmful bacteria could reach the core, causing an infection. The best action is to visit a dentist as soon as you notice the signs. If the holes are tiny and are only forming, the dentist will recommend proper oral hygiene to reverse the condition. When you have deep cavities, but the tooth’s structural integrity is intact, the dentist will use a dental filling. Nevertheless, when the holes have compromised the tooth’s strength, you will need a dental filling and a crown or cap on top to strengthen it.
Are dental cavities preventable? Yes. You can prevent dental cavities by avoiding sugary foods that damage the enamel. Additionally, regular brushing according to your dentist’s instructions can consistently remove plaque, discouraging the growth of harmful bacteria that can erode the enamel.
Chipped, Cracked, or Fractured Tooth
Even though the enamel is the hardest layer of the tooth, it can chip or break when exposed to extreme force. Tooth chipping or fracture can happen due to direct trauma to the face, such as a contact sport or accident. The use of excessive force when biting or biting on hard surfaces can also cause chipping. A standard chip or fracture alters the appearance of your tooth and smile. If the fracture extends to the dentin and tooth core, you might experience excruciating pain. When this happens, it is time to see your dental care provider.
When you visit the dentist with a chipped or broken tooth, they will ask about the source of the chip. Apart from facial trauma, your teeth can chip or break due to wear and tear that happens over the years as you age. The continuous grinding of the teeth can also weaken them over the years, increasing the risk of breaking. Other factors that increase the risk of your teeth chipping or breaking are extensive tooth decay or cavities. These weaken the tooth’s overall structure, increasing the risk of a chip. Frequent use of sugary foods and beverages exposes your teeth to acid or toxic bacteria. Extended contact causes demineralization of the enamel, which softens it and increases the risk of chipping.
The teeth that are most susceptible to chipping are the molars because they do most of the chewing, exposing them to constant pressure. The front teeth are most likely to break or chip due to facial trauma.
When should you visit the dentist after a chipped or fractured tooth? If you are to visit the dentist at the appropriate time, you must recognize the symptoms of a broken or chipped tooth. If you suspect a tooth is chipped, run your tongue above the tooth. If you feel a jagged surface, the tooth is chipped. However, this applies to minor chips. Additionally, you will experience pain or irritation when chewing if the fracture extends to the gum margins.
A physical exam is sufficient to identify the chip and appropriate treatment. However, when the fracture extends under the gum margins, you will require an X-ray to determine whether it has impacted the pulp.
The treatment procedure your dental expert will apply to the chipped tooth depends on the severity of the damage, the position of the affected tooth in the mouth, and your symptoms. A tiny chip on the tooth that does not interfere with your eating habits or cause pain does not constitute an emergency. However, this should not prevent you from visiting the dentist when you notice the signs. For minor chips, the dental expert will smooth the jagged surface and allow you to go home. However, for severe chips or fractures, or those that impair your appearance or the quality of your smile, you will need more complex treatment procedures, such as veneers, onlays, dental bonding, or dental crowns.
Impacted Teeth
Another tooth problem that warrants a visit to your dentist is an impacted tooth. It happens when a tooth lacks sufficient space on the jawbone to emerge. Most impacted teeth have no manifestations. However, a few can cause problems, leading to complications such as pain.
If an impacted tooth has no symptoms, the only way to detect it is with an X-ray, which your dentist can recommend during routine dental visits. However, those that cause problems can manifest as inflammation and redness of the gingival tissue, jawbone pain, bad breath, and an unpleasant taste.
The most commonly impacted teeth are the wisdom teeth because they grow after all the teeth in the mouth have grown. This means that if you have limited jaw space, the wisdom teeth will not have room to erupt. Once your dentist determines, through an X-ray or physical examination, that you have an impacted tooth, they will recommend surgical removal (extraction). However, if the affected teeth are the cuspids or maxillary canines, your dentist will not recommend removal, as these teeth are crucial for chewing. They will explore other alternative treatments that help the teeth erupt and play a critical role.
There are several alternative treatments to tooth extraction. First, the dental expert can use the wait-and-see approach, in which they give the impacted tooth time to erupt. The technique applies if you are not experiencing any adverse symptoms. During the waiting period, the dentist regularly examines the teeth to see if they are problematic. If the tooth causes problems, and surgical extraction is not an option, the dentist will recommend eruption aids. These treatments are used on impacted mixed incisors, as extraction is not suitable. Some of the treatments that can aid the eruption of an impacted tooth include braces and brackets. Alternatively, the dentist can extract the erupted tooth that is preventing the other from emerging.
If you have an impacted tooth that you are giving time to emerge, but it is causing moderate pain, you can use aspirin to alleviate the pain. Nevertheless, when the pain persists, you should see your dentist.
Hypodontia
Hypodontia is a condition that entails the growth of excessive teeth in the limited jaw space. The excess teeth are known as the supernumerary teeth and emerge anywhere in the jawbone. Baby teeth emerge first during childhood and are most prone to hypodontia, although the condition can affect permanent teeth as well.
You can tell you have hypodontia if you have supernumerary teeth beneath or near the permanent or primary teeth. Excess teeth can put pressure on the jaw and soft tissues, causing pain and inflammation. In other cases, it causes crooked teeth, as the extra teeth emerge out of position. However, most of the time, the condition does not trigger pain.
When you visit the dentist, they will examine the teeth to determine if they are fully or partially erupted. If the teeth have not erupted, an X-ray will be necessary to identify their correct location. In some cases, the dentist will adopt the wait-and-see technique. However, when the symptoms are severe, the dental expert will recommend extracting some of the permanent teeth to create space for the supernumerary teeth.
Malocclusion or Bite Problems
Lastly, you should visit your dentist if you have bite issues, such as overbites, underbites, crossbites, or crowded teeth. Malocclusion causes several dental problems, like pain when chewing and difficulties speaking. Also, because misaligned teeth are difficult to clean, poor dental hygiene can increase the risk of other dental problems, such as gum disease and tooth decay.
Many malocclusion issues are genetic and passed down from one generation to another. When you visit the dentist, they will evaluate your teeth and gums for a diagnosis. In severe cases, a detailed examination with an X-ray is required.
If you have severe malocclusion, the dental expert will recommend traditional braces. For minor malocclusions, clear aligners and retainers can be utilized to realign the teeth. There are several treatments for misaligned teeth that your dentist will discuss to help you choose the best option for your condition.
Find an Experienced Restorative Solution Dentist Near Me
Healthy teeth play a functional and aesthetic role. Therefore, when you start experiencing certain teeth issues, such as cracks or chips, malocclusion, cavities, or toothaches, your oral health and appearance might be at risk; hence, you should see a dentist for treatment. At The Hawthorne Dentist, we will thoroughly examine your teeth, understand your medical history, and ask questions about your symptoms before recommending the appropriate treatment. Call us at 310-775-2557 for a zero-obligation consultation.
