If you experience a dental emergency, such as severe oral pain or a knocked-out tooth, you know that you need to contact your dentist right away. But sometimes, you might develop smaller issues with your smile that seem less disruptive to your everyday life. You may feel tempted to ignore these concerns or wait until your next regularly scheduled dental check-up for an evaluation.
However, in many cases, these minute changes in the look and feel of your smile can be symptoms of larger oral health problems. Rather than delay necessary treatment, you should reach out to your dentist for an exam.
When you know about the consequences of these types of symptoms, then you can react more promptly and get the dental care that your smile needs. Read on to learn about three dental concerns that seem minor but may require urgent attention from an expert dentist like Dr. Chavala Harris in Durham, NC.
Tooth Sensitivity
Do you feel a bolt of intense pain when you bite into food? Does this pain fade when the food no longer touches your tooth? You could be suffering from tooth sensitivity.
Because this oral discomfort goes away without a stimulus, you might think you can tolerate sensitive teeth. However, this type of pain often points to damage to the tooth’s enamel, its outermost layer.
The pain comes from an external element touching an exposed nerve in the tooth. Usually, enamel shields these nerves, so if you feel this pain, then the enamel has thinned or weakened. And this could mean you are in danger of further dental damage.
Often, a sensitive tooth can mean you have a cavity, which will require intervention from a dentist to fix. Tooth sensitivity does not resolve on its own, usually, so make sure you speak to a dentist to find relief.
Irritated Gum Tissue
The gums are a connective tissue that helps keep your teeth securely in place in the mouth. Healthy gums look firm and pink, but they can appear swollen, red, or bloody if you contract an infection called gum disease.
Although gum disease can affect the appearance of your smile, many people do not think to worry about damage to the gums. But gum disease will spread and deteriorate the structure of the teeth and jaw over time along with the gums. This can lead to irreversible dental problems like tooth loss.
Gum disease is easier to treat when diagnosed early. So make sure you seek treatment for gum disease, which requires periodontal therapy to eradicate, in a timely fashion. For more information on how we diagnose and treat gum disease, please visit Periodontal disease treatment.
Chronic Bad Breath
You might experience bad-smelling breath after a flavorful meal. But this oral odor should go away when you rinse away lingering food particles by drinking water or brushing your teeth.
If bad breath persists, then it could be a symptom of gum disease, tooth decay, or another dental concern. Excess bacteria can collect in the mouth with these problems. When bacteria stay in your smile, it will start to smell.
Treating these underlying concerns with help from a dentist can freshen your breath and ensure your smile remains healthy. So make sure you do not delay calling your dentist.