It is not unusual to have a mouth health problem from time to time. A mouth health problem can involve your gums, lips, tongue, cheeks, throat, or teeth. Your mouth may feel dry or food may not taste right. You might have bad breath or a sore or a lesion on one of your lips, gums, or tongue that makes it difficult to eat or speak.
Treatment for mouth conditions varies depending on the problem. Many of these issues can improve with home treatment. Keeping your mouth clean by brushing and flossing is also important.
1. Broken or chipped teeth
Chewing ice or hard sweets, cracking nuts and hazelnuts, grinding your teeth, and even exposing your teeth to heat and cold can lead to chips, cracks, and missing pieces in your tooth enamel. Small cracks may not be bothersome, but they could cause pain or permanent tooth damage. Your dentist can offer dental work to reshape and reconstruct your teeth. Treatment varies depending on the depth of the fracture and the vitality of the tooth.
2. Dental caries, abscesses, yellow or discoloured teeth
Daily flossing, brushing and rinsing, plus regular dental check-ups, can help prevent problems such as tooth decay, abscesses and tooth discolouration. Do not ignore a severe toothache. Dental infections can spread to the face, head and even into your bloodstream. See your dentist as soon as possible if toothache does not go away or if you have a fever, earache or pain when you open your mouth wide.
3. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
The temporomandibular joint is the connection between the mandible and the temporal bone, which is located on the side of the skull. A problem with it called temporomandibular joint syndrome can cause severe pain in the jaw, face, ear, or neck.
Clenching, grinding of the teeth or injury can cause TMJ syndrome, but the results are often identical: pain, headaches, dizziness, and even difficulty swallowing. Treatment may involve rest, moist heat, a mouthguard, medication, or even surgery.
Did you know that if you're right-handed, you tend to chew your food more on the right side? And vice versa, if you're left-handed, you prefer to chew more on the left side?
4. Gingival infection
When periodontal disease develops, bacteria from plaque build up along the gum line. Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease. Symptoms include red, swollen, and bleeding gums. Correct oral hygiene can help prevent periodontal disease. Smoking, poor diet, and stress can make gum disease worse.
5. Periodontitis
The next stage of gum disease is periodontitis, or gum infection. Increased inflammation causes the gums to recede, forming pockets between the teeth and gums. These pockets harbour tartar, plaque, and food debris, which ultimately lead to infections and abscesses. Advanced gum disease damages the bone that supports the teeth and is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Consult your dentist to treat affected gums.
6. Amalgam Tattoo
Have you ever noticed a „smudge” of blue-grey colour in the soft tissues of your mouth after dental work? Also known as an amalgam tattoo, this pigmented lesion appears when a small piece of amalgam is accidentally embedded in the soft tissues of the cheek or gum.
Silver from amalgam migrates into the soft tissues of the oral cavity, resulting in what looks like a small tattoo. An amalgam tattoo is harmless. However, if the blue-grey spot grows or changes colour, there's a good chance it's not an amalgam tattoo. Request a consultation with your dentist.
Oral health offers clues about your body's general health. At the same time, problems within the oral cavity can affect the rest of your body, so do not minimise or ignore them.