Your Mouth Might Be Telling You That…

More Dental Health Articles

Your Mouth Might Be Telling You That…

You’re majorly stressed out

Grinding or clenching your teeth can be a sign that you’re under pressure. Over time, you can grind down and damage your teeth, causing sensitivity and pain. You can eventually get to the dentin, under the enamel.  Your bite height can change, and you can create TMJ problems.  There’s also a risk of fracture – you can break teeth.

Another sign of stress? Having a painful canker sore or two. Although the jury is still out when it comes to the exact cause of canker sores, they occur more frequently in people who are stressed. Although the sores are painful, they’re thankfully benign. That said, if you have a white (or red) lesion in your mouth that doesn’t clear up in two weeks, that can be a sign of oral cancer and warrants a doctor’s visit and biopsy right away.

You might have acid reflux

Eating garlic knots and forgetting to brush your tongue aren’t the only causes of bad breath. In some cases, especially if you already have a solid brushing and flossing regimen in place, a lingering case of halitosis can signal a health problem, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). You may not even know you have it since GERD is sometimes a silent condition and can occur during sleep. But over time, GERD can wear away your teeth. In fact, research shows that 24 percent of people with GERD have tooth erosion, which a dentist can easily spot.

You might be developing
a tooth cavity

If you’ve ever experienced a toothache when taking off on an airplane or deep-water scuba diving, it’s likely due to a developing cavity. Changes in air pressure can irritate the nerve within an infected tooth, causing dull or severe pain and discomfort. If you feel an unfamiliar pain in these types of situations, have a dentist examine the tooth to catch the cavity before it grows. Filling a cavity during its early stages will prevent the decay from growing and lessen cavity symptoms.