Common Dental Problems: Causes, Treatments, Prevention
Caring for your teeth and gums is critical to your health but different dental complications are prevalent, largely reducing your mouth functionality. The good news however is that all these are preventable or curable. You can visit a dental clinic near you to get the perfect solution for your Common Dental Problems. However, you can also apply the knowledge given below to choose what can be done for a particular problem.
Here in our blog, we will look at common dental problems or issues, potential causes, potential treatment and how to prevent them from sustaining a good and bright smile.
Top 17 Oral Health and Common Dental Problems & When to See a Dentist
1. Jaw Pain
- Cause: Jaw pain is associated with dental ailments such as teeth clenching, or conditions affecting the joint of the jaw and the skull, referred to as TMJ. This discomfort is caused by stress, misalignment or if you find yourself grinding your teeth a lot.
- Treatment: The treatment options depend on the underlying situation, treatment measures can be the use of a night guard to stop grinding, physical therapy to treat TMJ disorders, or drugs to manage pain and inflammation levels.
- Prevention: Avoid biting hard objects, take no stress, and seek a dentist’s advice for an examination of your jaw and bite alignment.
2. Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)
- Cause: Dry mouth refers to a situation where the mouth is unable to produce enough saliva; this can be a result of one using particular drugs, lack of water intake, or conditions such as diabetes. It also has symptoms such as breathing through the mouth or smoking.
- Treatment: Intervention can include the use of saliva-promoting agents, taking water frequently or controlling the condition underlying the problem, for instance, altering the dosage of the drugs taken, or treatment of an illness. A dentist may also advise on other fluorides for use to prevent any cases of tooth decay.
- Prevention: Keep yourself well-lubricated and do not use alcohol and tobacco; brush and floss your teeth to diminish dry mouth chances.
3. Crooked Teeth
- Cause: Malocclusion is a condition where the teeth overlap, underlap, or are crooked, and it may be inherited, caused by thumb sucking or early tooth loss. Misaligned teeth not only create a problem in an individual’s appearance but also create a problem in the cleaning of the individual’s teeth.
- Treatment: Treatments like braces, clear aligners or retainers apply force on the teeth which gradually moves the teeth in a better alignment. Sometimes, a dentist may use dental veneer or crowns with aesthetic motives as well.
- Prevention: It is impossible to prevent inherited crooked teeth but you are not compelled to live with this problem if you visit an orthodontist at an early age for an early solution to misalignments that may otherwise cause more severe problems.
4. Bad Breath (Halitosis)
- Cause: Constant halitosis causes include lack of proper oral cleaning, gum diseases, and cavities. But it can also be associated with some medical disorders like gastrointestinal problems, diabetes, or sinus infections.
- Treatment: Cleaning your tongue, brushing, and flossing, maintaining dental check-ups, and addressing the other medical conditions will also eradicate the unpleasant stench on the breath. In cases of chronic halitosis, a dentist is likely to prescribe some particular treatment.
- Prevention: Brush your teeth and tongue, clean your tongue, floss and use mouthwash as recommended by your dentist. Drinking lots of water and avoiding smoking cigarettes can also help to avoid bad breath.
5. Crowded Teeth
- Cause: Crowding means there is not sufficient space in the dental arch for all teeth to fit and orient themselves properly and normally this results in teeth overlapping or moving out of their normal position.
- Treatment: Options of addresses for crowded teeth include orthodontic treatment using braces or clear aligners, or extraction of formal teeth if overcrowding is severe.
- Prevention: It is important to take full oral examinations to stage the crowded teeth, and begin corrective action before it manifests into gum diseases or cavities.
6. Snoring
- Cause: Snoring is due to obstructed airways during sleep, and it is associated with certain dental irregularities including irregular jaws, obstruction of the airway or relaxation of the throat muscles.
- Treatment: Oral devices such as CPAP machines are known to increase airflow hence minimizing snoring. Dental treatments may also include correction of jaw alignment that is not correct due to TMJ disorder.
- Prevention: Stomach sleeping, alcohol removal six hours before bedtime, and correct dental appliance selection will assist in the elimination of snoring.
7. Receding Gums
- Cause: Gum recession is usually attributed to periodontal disease, poor brushing practices, and hormonal shifts. With the pulling away of the gums from the teeth, the roots are exposed hence causing human beings to experience sensitivity to hot and cold foods.
- Treatment: The treatment options include, professional cleaning, scaling, or surgical operation in severe cases. Regular and thorough cleaning and rinsing, and gentle brushing, can help curb the worsening of the condition.
- Prevention: Do not brush hard by using a nylon brush, but you should brush your teeth gently and floss daily to avoid experiencing gum diseases and receding gums. You should also visit a dentist for check-ups.
8. Overbite
- Cause: Overbite is the condition whereby the upper teeth bite over the lower teeth than is normal or desirable. Such imbalance can inspire several issues of discomfort, jaw experiments and difficulty in chewing.
- Treatment: Laser teeth whitening is the recommended solution to fill the gaps caused by overbite and other dental complications that may warrant getting braces or Aligners.
- Prevention: Getting an orthodontic consultation early when misalignment is only mild will not help avoid further complications as your child’s teeth grow.
9. Tooth Decay (Cavities)
- Cause: Cavities are formed when plaque present in teeth forms bacteria that create acid and lead to erasure of enamel. Now, cavities depend on such factors as inadequate brushing or cleaning of the teeth, too frequent intake of sweets, and little or no use of fluorides.
- Treatment: In most cases the condition causes cavities to form, in which a filling is made on the decayed surface. That must be done when the light has extended into the tooth pulp, this is done through a root canal.
- Prevention: Daily cleaning and rinsing or the use of fluoride toothpaste and avoiding frequent intake of sweets helps check the formation of cavities.
10. Tooth Decay (Caries and Root Surface Caries)
- Cause: Periodontal gum diseases, also known as periodontal diseases, are infections that result from a buildup of plaque along the gum line. Periodontitis is also closely related to gingivitis; if left untreated, the former results from the latter.
- Treatment: Gingivitis that remains untreated can reduce the number of teeth a person has or lead to periodontal disease. Some of the complicated scenarios may warrant scaling, another procedure called root planing or even surgery may be necessary.
- Prevention: Gum diseases can be prevented through daily dental visits, proper brushing and flossing, and refraining from smoking.
11. Tooth Abscess
- Cause: A tooth abscess is a localized pocket of pus that arises around the root of the tooth, failure to treat tooth decays or through tooth injuries.
- Treatment: Dental abscesses are usually treated with surgery involving the removal of a tooth or root canal treatment and antibiotics to combat the infection.
- Prevention: Prophylactic dental examinations when coupled with routine dental hygiene can considerably minimize teeth infections that get to the stage of forming abscesses.
12. Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
- Cause: Bruxism is usually precipitated by stress, anxiety or malocclusion in the dental arches. Grinding causes the gradual breakdown of tooth enamel and additionally may lead to a jawache.
- Treatment: A night guard is a familiar and effective way of preventing the teeth from getting damaged. Additional stress control methods or adjective procedures for the dentition may also be required.
- Prevention: One should learn to avoid stress, should not take coffee or alcohol before going to bed, and can also wear a night guard to stop this.
13. Impacted Wisdom Teeth
- Cause: Untreated wisdom teeth are those in which the molars do not have sufficient space to break through the gums or are painful, infected, or damaging the adjacent teeth.
- Treatment: The only way that may sometimes be inevitable is to extract the teeth because they are impacted and may further harm the individual.
- Prevention: The presence of four adult teeth in a given quadrant can be checked by a dental practitioner at an early stage when they have not degraded their quality.
14. Toothache
- Cause: Toothache can be caused by cavities, gum disease, tooth injury or even a sinus infection.
- Treatment: Depending on what has caused the development of the disease, the treatment tends to fill the cavities, eliminate the abscesses, or give the patient some analgesic.
- Prevention: Maintain good oral hygiene by brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and flossing regularly. Avoid sugary foods and drinks, and visit your dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings. Wearing a mouthguard during sports can also protect your teeth from damage.
15. Sensitive Teeth
- Cause: People experience sensitive teeth because the enamel wears out, the gums pull back, or have cavities that make teeth sensitive to hot food, cold food, or sweet food.
- Treatment: Prescription medication that may be applied directly to the teeth can include visiting the desensitizing toothpaste, using fluoride treatments, or having a gum graft.
- Prevention: Brush very lightly, do not consume foods high in acid content, and go for the dentist’s treatment that reconstructs the enamel layer.
16. Yellow Teeth
- Cause: Teeth can become yellow because of aging, improper care for the teeth or gums, and consumption of products that cause discolouration, such as coffee, tea or tobacco.
- Treatment: There are professional tooth whitening services or other commercial products that can help regain the vitality of your smile.
- Prevention: Indeed regular brushing the teeth and avoiding food items that tend to cause stains can help sustain a white smile.
17. Cracked Tooth
- Cause: Tooth enamel faults are a result of biting hard food substances or else an accidental fall while also injuries due to rapid grinding. A broken tooth leads to greater chances of cavities or sensitivity in the tooth.
- Treatment: In some cases of this type of cracked tooth, your dentist may decide to bond the tooth, apply a crown, or perform root canal therapy.
- Prevention: Do not take anything with a hard texture to bite or chew, use a night guard if you are a teeth grinder and get a checkup with your dentist for signs of wear and tear.
Final Thoughts on Common Dental Problems
Maintaining oral health is essential to prevent common dental problems and their complications. Regular check-ups and proper dental hygiene are key to a bright and healthy smile. If you’re experiencing any of these issues, don’t hesitate to seek dentist care.