What Indicates You Need a Dental Checkup?

What are the signs that you need dental cleanings and checkups at the dentist near you? This is a question that bothers many, and in this blog, we will give you a few important hints, as recommended also by the Gateway Dentistry Group, a dentist in Grande Prairie. A healthy diet, good hygiene and regular dental cleanings and checkups near you are important to keep your teeth in order.

Persistent Bad Breath

It is most often caused by poor oral hygiene, inadequate nutrition or acute inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Certain foods, health conditions and living habits are just some of the causes of bad breath. In many cases, bad breath can be improved by consistent and proper dental hygiene. If simple techniques do not solve the problem, consult a dentist near you or a doctor to make sure that some particular more serious condition is not causing your bad breath. There are many possible causes for bad breath. Poor dental hygiene is one of them. If you do not brush your teeth every day and do not use dental floss, food particles remain in your mouth, which causes bad breath. Bacteria that produce odors can appear on the tongue. Dentures that you don’t maintain regularly can also contain bacteria and food particles that cause bad breath.

Bleeding Gums 

If you spit blood while brushing your teeth, this is not a normal occurrence. This could be an early sign of gum problems and the first stop on the road to tooth loss. Bleeding gums are often caused by plaque, sticky deposits of bacteria that constantly form around the teeth, on them or between them. If plaque bacteria are not removed, they can irritate the gums, which can cause redness, bleeding and inflammation. But bleeding gums can also be caused by brushing your teeth too often.

Dry Mouth 

Also called xerostomia, dry mouth is dryness of the oral cavity, caused by reduced or interrupted salivation. Such a condition can cause discomfort, interfere with speech and swallowing, making it difficult to wear dentures, cause bad breath, and interfere with oral hygiene. Dry mouth leads to a decrease in the pH value in the mouth, which favors the multiplication of bacteria. Prolonged xerostomia can lead to the development of severe caries and oral candidiasis. It can be caused by: using various drugs, head and neck radiation (cancer treatment), excessive mouth breathing, head and neck injuries, and viral infections. People who breathe through their mouths during the night have the most pronounced symptoms.

Other Conditions

A sure sign that you urgently need to go to the dentist is the gnashing of teeth. The loose teeth can be caused by trauma or dental disease. Gingivitis is a disease of the gums where the gums are inflamed, swollen and bleeding. When it spreads, inflammation of the entire supporting apparatus of the teeth occurs, bone loss occurs, and teeth loosen. The conditions that are the biggest enemies of gums are poor oral hygiene, smoking, stress, prosthetic replacements that are not adequate, genetic predisposition and hormone imbalance.

Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and ulcers, known as stomatitis, can be mild and localized or severe, dilated and painful, causing sore mouth. Stomatitis may include swelling and redness of the mucous membranes of the mouth or small, painful ulcers (single or multiple). Symptoms threaten the diet, sometimes causing dehydration and malnutrition. Stomatitis can be the result of infection, systemic disease, physical or chemical irritation, or an allergic reaction.

If you are looking for dental cleanings and checkups in Grande Prairie, we certainly recommend you to visit the Gateway Dentistry Group. It is the dentist in Grande Prairie that can answer all your worries from above-mentioned symptoms. Take care of your dental health!