Dental care is highly encouraged in its observance in India. The assuring point is that this gets instilled in children at a young age. Oral health problems can cause a significant burden on a person’s health, relationships, and overall well-being. Despite this, many people minimize the importance of oral and dental health.
Poor oral hygiene can cause problems ranging from cavities and tooth sensitivity to advanced gum disease. However, proper oral hygiene and regular checkups can easily prevent most dental problems.
In this article, we’ll cover the common dental problems you might experience. Many of these are simple to treat but are even easier to prevent. Some of them are benign and purely cosmetic, while others can have serious health implications if not treated.
So, what are the most common dental problems? We’ll dive into each problem’s causes and best dental treatments. Let’s get started.
Bad Breath
This condition, medically referred to as Halitosis, characterized an unpleasant odor in the mouth. Causes include lingering food particles, residue from certain odorous foods like fish, dry mouth, and poor dental hygiene.
For a rather common dental issue, there are various ways to address and prevent bad breath. The most common means to do this is by maintaining oral hygiene. Brushing the teeth and using mouthwash are good ways to start.
Brushing allows you to remove the plaque build-up. Another is by using a tongue scraper or a toothbrush to brush and scrape at the tongue to remove bacteria. Bad breath brought about by a dry mouth is best addressed with chewing gum or mints, or by drinking water at regular intervals.
If the source of the bad odor is a disease or a dental infection, consult the best dentist in Gurgaon for treatment.
Gum Disease
The gums are tissue that holds your teeth together. If they are not cared for, there may be problems that can affect your teeth, such as Periodontitis. Two types of diseases affect the gums and their severity varies between them.
The first is Gingivitis, a milder form of gum disease that causes the gums to be swollen, red, and may have occasional bleeding. The advanced stage of this, called Periodontitis, is when the plaque build-up has gone past the gum line. This means that the bacteria can cause the gums and the bones supporting the teeth to deteriorate.
The best way to prevent this is proper oral hygiene, with regular tooth brushing and flossing. Ensure that the plaque and bacteria get removed during cleaning, as treatments for these are notably costly. These dental treatments to address gum disease may include antibiotics, scraping, or even surgical means.
Cavities and Tooth Decay
Another of the common dental problems that you can encounter is tooth decay, being as prevalent as the common cold. This happens when plaque produces acids. These acids cause the enamel to decay and may cause cavities, which are small holes in the tooth.
With basic oral maintenance, you can prevent cavities from forming. This includes regular brushing of teeth after meals and flossing. Also, ensure that you are using fluoride toothpaste as it aids in hardening the tooth enamel.
Treatments for tooth decay may depend on the severity of the damage. You may find it surprising that a majority of children don’t get cavities treated.
One involves the removal of the decay and filling the hole with a dental filling. Another is with use of a crown to replace a part of the tooth. There is also the root canal procedure, which involves the removal of an infected pulp in the tooth.
Tooth Sensitivity
There is a layer called dentin that covers the nerves of the teeth. When the dentin layer gets exposed, either by receding gums or by other factors like age, eating certain food can cause pain and discomfort. Meals that are hot, cold, sweet, or acidic can become a struggle to enjoy.
Tooth sensitivity is preventable with good oral care.
Proper brushing, flossing, and reduced intake of sugary and acidic foods should aid in preventing this condition. However, the proper assessment of a dentist is highly suggested to see the severity of this dental issue. Dental treatments for this may include the use of a high-fluoride toothpaste or a fluoride varnish on the root surface.
Chipped Tooth
Chipping a tooth, especially a front tooth, is a fairly common injury. A tooth can be chipped by a sports injury or a fall, especially in children.
It’s important to get chipped or traumatized teeth evaluated quickly. If the chip is bad enough, it may expose some of the sensitive inner tissues of the tooth. Depending on where the tooth is chipped and how much tooth structure is missing, the tooth can be restored with a dental veneer, restoring the shape and function of the tooth.
Crooked Teeth
Teeth that are crooked, or crowding, is typically a genetic issue and is caused by how the adult teeth erupt into the jaw during adolescence. The jaw might be too small to accommodate all the teeth in proper alignment, or one tooth may erupt in an abnormal position, causing the neighboring and opposing teeth to be out of alignment.
Depending on the severity of the condition, crooked teeth can lead to grinding of the teeth and difficult cleaning. This can increase the chance of gum disease, dental decay, and worn teeth over time. Orthodontic treatments such as braces or Invisalign are used to correct crooked teeth. In severe cases, jaw surgery may be necessary.
Stained Teeth
Teeth turning yellow, brown, or even black can be a cause for concern for patients.
Teeth stain for a variety of reasons. The most common is simply usage: consuming colored foods and drinks will cause the enamel to stain over time. Tea, coffee, red wine, dark chocolate, leafy greens, and berries will stain the teeth notably faster. This type of staining can be treated successfully with professional or at-home teeth-whitening treatments.
Yellow teeth are purely a cosmetic issue and don’t pose any health concerns.
Sometimes staining can be a sign of decay or infection in the tooth. This can be the case when teeth are turning brown or even black. In these cases, it will be necessary to have the tooth or teeth inspected by a dentist to address the root cause.
How to Prevent Common Dental Problems
Some of the problems listed above are fairly benign. Others can have potentially serious health complications if left untreated. However, most of the issues on this list can be solved with a very simple oral hygiene regime:
- brush at least twice a day for two minutes,
- floss between teeth at least once a day, and
- visit the dentist every 3-12 months.
That’s because most of the issues above are caused by either infection or decay. Both of these can, for the most part, be effectively prevented through brushing and flossing alone.
Lifestyle changes can also help prevent issues.
- Alcohol and smoking can make you more susceptible to infection and decay, so it’s best to avoid them.
- Foods such as berries, wine, tea and coffee may stain your teeth, so it’s best to avoid them.
- Sports can cause trauma to your teeth, so it’s best to wear a mouthguard during contact sports and/ or if you grind your teeth.
It must be noted, however, that genetics can and do play a part in our oral health. Crooked teeth, for example, are usually a result of genetics rather than environmental factors. Also, genetics can make us more susceptible to infection and decay. The natural shape of our mouths might mean we are more likely to grind our teeth.
Conclusion
There is a lot we can do to prevent issues, but sometimes things are beyond our control. That’s why it’s so important to see the dentist regularly. They can identify problem areas long before they have a serious effect on your health.
If you’re experiencing one of these problems or want to try to prevent them, contact the team at Dr. Khullar’s Dental Clinic today to schedule an appointment. You’ll receive a thorough examination and cleaning, and if necessary, a treatment plan that we can use to get your dental health back on track.
