Don’t Ignore These Four Most Commonly Overlooked Dental Problems

Maintaining your oral health should be a matter of routine, with daily brushing, flossing, and regular professional cleanings and checkups at your Marco Island Dentist’s office. But no matter how diligently one follows proper dental care regimens, oral health problems can arise. Many dental problems become obvious due to pain or other signals such as bleeding of the gums. But some dental problems may arise without readily apparent symptoms, compromising your oral health until identified by your dentist.

To help you better recognize such subtle yet damaging oral health conditions, Island Tower Dentistry offers these pointers about the four most commonly overlooked dental problems:

Cavities

Cavities can be easily overlooked because they rarely cause pain during their early stages. In fact, most cavities remain unnoticed until identified during a dental exam or until the decay starts eating into the inner pulp where sensitive nerves will start sending you pain signals. Early-stage, small cavities are typically hard to see, but any new discoloration spots, especially near the gum line, may indicate the presence of one. If you see a black spot, or even a hole, in your tooth, the cavity is beyond the early stage and starting to do significant damage. When a specific tooth causes pain, is sensitive to temperature, or aches with the pressure of chewing, it might be the nerve impulse warning that you have a cavity. In any of these cases, you should contact your dentist to have it checked out and forestall potential continued deterioration.

Bruxism

Many people unconsciously grind their teeth while they’re asleep, and some even when awake. While bruxism, the technical term for teeth grinding, can be caused by stress and anxiety, bruxism while asleep may be a symptom of sleep apnea. Whatever the cause, bruxism compromises oral health and should be treated. Teeth grinding wears away at tooth enamel and can cause teeth to fracture or chip. Enamel loss makes teeth more sensitive and more susceptible to damage from other dental conditions. You can identify signs of bruxism by paying close attention to your jaw during the day and noting whether and how often you clench it and if it leads to grinding. Symptoms of sleep-related bruxism may include jaw, neck, or facial soreness upon awakening and on into the day. 

Gum Recession

Receding gums can be caused by a number of things. Genetics can be a factor and gum disease is a common cause, but people who brush their teeth too vigorously can also wear away gum tissue. Gum recession can compromise oral health by potentially exposing the underlying roots of teeth, which lack enamel that helps guard against decay. While early stages of gum recession are typically hard to notice, temperature sensitivity can be one early warning sign. Also, check your gum lines regularly to see if any of your teeth appear to be more exposed than they should be. If you suspect gum recession, make sure you tell your dentist, so that they can further assess it, determine its cause, and offer appropriate treatment.    

Gingivitis

Gingivitis—the first stage of gum disease—is easily overlooked by individuals, but regular dental exams usually identify it early in its progression. If found, professional cleaning and good dental hygiene practices can often reverse it. Persistent bad breath is one early warning signal that some people overlook, but most people realize they have a problem when it presents with loose teeth and/or red, swollen, and sore gums that tend to bleed with brushing and flossing. Consider scheduling a checkup with your dentist should any of these symptoms persist for more than a week.   

Contact Island Tower for All of Your Aesthetic Dental Needs

The dental care professionals at Island Tower Dentistry are highly adept at identifying and treating all of these commonly overlooked dental problems. If you suspect that your oral health may be getting compromise by these, or any other dental condition, contact us today at 239-394-1004 to make an appointment!