Minor Dental Issues Require Urgent Care

If you suffer a dental emergency, such as a severe toothache or a knocked-out tooth, you know to reach out to your dentist for help right away. But some dental problems seem less urgent and do not majorly impact your daily life. Yet these could be creating major damage to your smile without prompt treatment from your dentist.

Understanding these issues and the lasting damage they could leave on your smile can help you make the swift decision to call your dentist and protect your oral health. Read on to learn about three seemingly minor dental problems that may require urgent attention from your dentist.

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Should I Call My Dentist for These Dental Concerns?

Tooth Sensitivity Pain

Patients with sensitive teeth may notice a sharp jolt of pain when biting into sugary or cold food items. This happens when the outer shell of the enamel of a tooth erodes or wears down, revealing underlying dentin. Dentin contains nerves that will send pain signals to the brain when stimulated, which can occur when biting into ice cream, for instance.

Though this pain can be intermittent, it can feel excruciating and alter a patient’s daily life. They may begin avoiding certain foods or using only one side of their mouth to chew, which can create bite problems and other dental concerns.

Once the enamel has eroded, it cannot regrow. So many patients will need treatment from their dentist to relieve sensitivity pain in their smiles. The dentist will evaluate the affected tooth to determine the root cause of this condition and provide treatment accordingly.

A cavity may give a patient sensitivity pain. Patients may require enamel replacement treatment which can be accomplished using a dental crown. The ceramic cap will fit over an affected tooth, shielding sensitive dentin and stopping stimuli from causing pain in the tooth.

Pain of any kind is abnormal, and you should seek prompt attention from your dentist rather than suffer through it. It could also signify a larger dental problem that will need swift attention as soon as possible lest it worsens and leaves you with irreversible damage to your smile.

Bleeding Gums

Sometimes if you brush your teeth too harshly, you may notice bleeding in your gums. However, if your gums bleed on a regular basis with little or no evident reason, you might have gum disease.

This infection of the gum tissue leaves patients with swollen and red gums. But this disease will advance without prompt treatment from a dentist, reaching the tooth roots and potentially causing tooth loss. You should talk to your dentist as soon as you can to get rid of gum disease before it can create this kind of dental damage.

Bad-Smelling Breath

We have all suffered from bad-smelling breath at some point, especially after eating a garlicky or oniony meal. But persistent bad breath could mean you have halitosis, a chronic issue that will require treatment from a dentist.

Dental problems like advanced gum disease or tooth decay can produce a foul odor that will make you feel self-conscious. If this issue continues even after completing your oral hygiene routine, let your dentist know.