4 signs of unhealthy teeth & what to do about them | Teeth remedies

How are your teeth at the moment? Do you suspect that you might be showing some sign of unhealthy teeth? Here’s a question – what do you think your teeth would want to try and tell you if they could speak? Could your mouth health be better?

Well, you don’t have to wait for your pearly whites to be granted the gift of speech. Your teeth can actually tell you lots about your dental hygiene and oral care, believe it or not. You just need to understand the signs that they give.

Ready to listen to your teeth and make some positive changes to your dental hygiene? Here are some of the signs of poor mouth health you need to watch out for. When you get down to it, unhealthy teeth can often be fixed or eased.

#1: Loose teeth

There is nothing more scary than feeling loose teeth – after all, you only get one set! You might think that suddenly lose teeth might just be a sign of aging. But, unfortunately, that isn’t the case, and you should be quite worried about this specific change to your teeth. It is often a symptom of periodontal disease.

Thankfully, good oral care & decay preventive dentistry throughout your life can help to keep this disease at bay. However, if you do notice that any of your teeth suddenly become loose, it’s important that you see your doctor for the necessary treatment as soon as possible.

#2: Bleeding or swollen gums

Personally, I have always had excellent teeth but really poor gums. Have you noticed that your gums have become swollen or you find that your gums start to easily bleed while brushing, it’s a good idea to book an appointment with your dentist.

Sometimes, this is just a side effect of hormonal changes in the body or pregnancy. I am pregnant at the moment and in my first trimester, I had to rush to the dentist because of what seemed to be an abscess on my gums. The hormonal changes in pregnancy can cause this. However, sometimes bleeding or swollen gums can be a sign that something else is wrong with your oral hygiene. See your dentist so that he can rule out gum disease.

#3: Mouth sores

This is a problem that you’ll be bothered by very quickly if or when it happens to you! Mouth sores sure can be very painful at times but you’ll be glad to hear that they aren’t anything to worry about. In actual fact, they could be sign that you have been eating too much acidic, hot, or spicy foods.

It’s a good idea to stop eating these kinds of foods for a few days if you do develop a sore. If the sore lasts longer for a few days, though, it could be a symptom of a vitamin A deficiency. If things don’t improve after eating more vitamin A rich foods, like spinach and potatoes, see your doctor. If you have this symptom, you may have one of the signs of unhealthy teeth.

#4: Gum pain

If you have any gum pain that doesn’t accompany any of the symptoms or problems mentioned above, you should visit your doctor. This could be a sign of a cavity, especially if the pain occurs when you eat anything hot or very cold. Sometimes, this pain also comes after your gums have drawn back and exposed the roots of the teeth.

If you notice any white spots on the gums then it could be a symptom of an irritation caused by foods or medications. It’s important that you see your doctor or dentist so that they can work out what is causing the irritation. If there doesn’t seem to be anything irritating the gums, then this could be an early warning sign of mouth cancer.

Unhealthy teeth and gums can be fixed

It’s a necessary to always listen to your teeth – they might have something super important to tell you. If you have continuing problems, make sure you visit your dentist and get professional advice. When you feel that you have unhealthy teeth, it’s always best to be proactive.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Toothache? 7

There are many common causes of toothache you might have to suffer through! Toothache is incredibly common with many of us experiencing at least mild discomfort at some point in our lives. Children and teenagers often experience a toothache as they grow up. First, from the pain of new teeth coming through, some then find it painful when they lose their baby teeth, only then to suffer more when their permanent teeth come through.

This pain returns if the child has to have their teeth moved with braces or other dental work. But, for adults, the cause of their toothache isn’t always as clear-cut. Here are some of the most common causes of toothache to watch out for.

#1: Wisdom teeth

Popular to contrary belief, getting wisdom teeth through isn’t always a cause for alarm. We’ve all heard stories of people needing time off to have their wisdom teeth removed, and how much discomfort it causes. However, if the teeth come through well, without any impaction and facing the right way, there is often only very mild irritation when they break through the skin and certainly no need to have the tooth removed.

Often it simply depends on the amount of space the tooth has. If there isn’t enough, the tooth may become impacted, lying under the skin, never able to break through. This puts pressure on the gums and other teeth, causing pain. Teeth that come it at an odd angle can also rub against other teeth, gums or even the inside of your mouth, causing pressure or even cutting the skin.

#2: Trapped food

Not brushing and flossing well, every morning and night, can leave small pieces of food trapped in and between your teeth. This can lead to decay, erosion, irritation and even infection. Brushing your teeth well and eating right is the best way to make sure your mouth stays healthy and can prevent a lot of things on this list.

#3: Grinding

Many of us grind our teeth in the night or when stressed out. Grinding can lead to a toothache, jaw pain and even neck pain. If you are worried you may be grinding, visit your dental clinic. Your dentist could fit you for a nighttime retainer to prevent any grinding when you are asleep.

#4: Damaged fillings

Many people incorrectly assume that once they’ve had a filling that’s it. That tooth is fixed. However if not looked after fillings can become broken, damaged or even fall out. This is why it’s important to visit the dentist even you think things are fine.

#5: Sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity is widespread and can make it hard to enjoy food and drink. Even in people with strong and healthy teeth. Your dentist can help you to find toothpaste to prevent the discomfort of sensitive teeth.

#6: Gum disease

Gum disease is very much a hidden cause of pain. In extreme cases, gums can bleed, look sore and obviously carry disease. But, in most cases, it’s impossible for the untrained eye to spot gum disease, which can lead to constant pain, sensitivity and eventually a loss of teeth or even infections of the jaw.

Brushing your gums and using mouthwash can help to prevent this condition. Check out Best Foods to Improve Your Teeth: The Healthy Teeth Diet.

#7: Pregnancy

Yep, the hormones in pregnancy can inflame your gums – did you know that? According to Baby Center, “About half of pregnant women have swollen, red, tender gums that bleed when flossed or brushed. This gum inflammation is pregnancy gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease.” It’s just one more thing that new mothers have to put up with, unfortunately. To make matters worse, pregnant women can’t be prescribed antibiotics unless the situation is dire, so often have to suffer without heavy medication.

You do not need to suffer through these common causes of toothache

Looking after your teeth well with regular, and correct, brushing and flossing and making regular trips to the dentist is the best way to avoid toothache and pain while keeping your teeth healthy for longer. I make sure I go to my dentist every 6 months, it really is worth it. Shop around to find a dentist you like, who does a good honest job and your teeth will thank you for life.

3 Natural Tooth Remedies & Their Effectiveness

Do all these natural tooth remedies work? Teeth are something that we focus a lot on. If someone has bad teeth, we tend to notice it very early on in a conversation with them. As a result, it’s fair to say that most of us are mildly obsessed by our own teeth, wanting to ensure that there’s no cause for anyone to judge our oral hygiene.

In recent years, dental health has spread from being a personal matter to something that is widely discussed. The internet is full of a mix of genuinely good ideas and potentially damaging myths when it comes to teeth care. The debates tend to rage. Some people insist that fluoride is effectively little better than poison; others say fluoride is incredibly beneficial. Then there are the arguments about the efficacy of making your own toothpaste, and a thousand and one other topics besides.

Given that so much regarding oral health is now discussed, let’s try and cut through some of the chatter. It’s fair to say that most people would probably choose to use natural products over anything that has been synthetically manufactured– especially for something we put into our mouths. Due to this, there are now many natural items that are associated with claims of oral health. Let’s examine some of these and see if they’re good, bad, or just plain wrong.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is a favourite of natural health proponents for pretty much everything, so it comes as no surprise that it features prominently in natural oral health. Coconut oil is recommended as a mouthwash or for oil pulling, due to its “antibacterial” qualities.

Well, coconut oil isn’t really antibacterial in the true meaning of the term. If you enjoy using coconut oil for oral hygiene, that’s fine, but there’s no proven benefit to it.

Verdict: If you want to try it or to continue using it, there’s no harm to using coconut oil for oral health– but don’t expect miracles.

Bicarbonate of soda

This one is serious.

Bicarbonate of soda — which is also called baking soda — is often recommended for natural oral hygiene. There’s some reason to believe these claims, too; some manufacturers include bicarb in their toothpastes. Bicarb is very abrasive, which means it can help scrub your teeth of any unpleasant stains.

However, the same is true of any gritty substance; there’s nothing inherently good about bicarb for oral health. It could also be outright dangerous. The amount of bicarb used in conventional toothpastes is tiny, yet there are people online advocating rubbing the raw crystals directly onto your teeth.

This is a bad idea that, if you do it often enough, is going to wind up requiring a trip to see an emergency dentist. That bicarb might be scrubbing your teeth clean, but it’s also removing the protective enamel from your teeth. This can eventually be very painful and require rapid pain-management treatment– but there’s no real cure for lost enamel.

Verdict: DON’T use bicarb for oral hygiene.

Clove oil

Clove oil has long been associated with helping to ease pain from toothaches. Millions of people keep a bottle in their medicine cabinet for just this very purpose.

For the most part, there’s no harm to using clove oil, provided you don’t exceed the recommended dose. However, there’s no scientific proof of its efficacy either. Clove oil is a known antibacterial so might be helpful if you have an infection, but you should also be seeking conventional medical treatment for such an issue.

Verdict: If clove oil gives you relief from clove oil, there’s no harm to continuing to use it. If it doesn’t work for you, then don’t use it; the effect it has seems to be largely subjective.

Natural tooth remedies can be good but exercise caution: do your research!

While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be cautious about the products you put into your mouth, it’s important to keep the above in mind when considering natural oral hygiene products.

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4 Signs of Unhealthy Teeth & What to Do About Them

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Are you showing some of the signs of unhealthy teeth and gums? Here are the 4 biggest signs that your mouth health may not be as good as it could be.

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Alex

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Alyce Vayle | Content Strategist

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