After visiting a dentist, you have been told that you have some level of tooth decay. The dentist Boronia may offer you their opinion on when you should look at getting it filled, but you wonder what might happen if I don’t go to the recommendations. We will explore that in this article and help you understand why proper oral care is so critical not only to your smile but also to your overall health.
There are different stages of tooth decay. It usually starts with a small spot that has not broken through the enamel. This is the beginning, and it will most likely not repair on its own but has a slight chance of doing so. Tall tale signs that you might have a cavity and should visit your dentist are:
Visible spots on the tooth
Pain when drinking or eating something cold or hot
Pain when chewing in general
Bad Breath that cannot be cured with some mouthwash and brushing
Tooth sensitivity
Toothache
Swelling, abscess, or inflammation around a tooth
The Stages of Tooth Decay
The first stage is called the white spot. This is the stage where it hasn’t broken through the enamel just yet. While at this stage, with proper treatments, the cavity decay may have a chance of being reversed.
Once the white spot has grown, it will enter phase 2 of a cavity. This is where the cavity has broken through the enamel. At this point, the tooth cannot repair itself. However, it can be saved relatively easily and is far less painful and costly than leaving it to further down the stages, which will happen over time.
Once the tooth hits stage 3, the decay has moved further down the line and has eroded the soft dentin layer below the enamel. The good news is that it hasn’t, at least at this stage, reached the pulp. But give it time, and that’s where the decay is headed. It is advised not to wait any longer at this stage. The tooth can be saved, most likely without a root canal. You may feel some discomfort at this stage, which is more painful than stages 1 and 2.
Stage 4 is a stage that you really don’t want to reach. At this point, the decay has gone through the tooth. This is an excruciating stage. However, the tooth can be saved in most cases at this stage. It will need a root canal, which is far more costly than if you had taken care of the issue early. This is one of many reasons we recommend that you take care of cavities as soon as they start.
The Last Stage is Life-Threatening
The last stage is stage 5, which can be fatal if untreated. It is also very painful and can cause a lot of distress in patients. This will have infection throughout the jawline, and infection of the mouth will carry over to the entire body through the bloodstream. That means that it can cause infection throughout the body and attack certain organs. Stage 5 cannot be reversed and will need a tooth extraction. Again, at this stage, it is life-threatening and should be avoided.
Protect yourself and your loved ones from life-threatening tooth issues by visiting the dentist in Bendigo regularly and doing primary oral care at home. If you have a tooth causing you some pain, be sure to make a special appointment to have that checked out. Better safe than sorry.
Oral Cancer Screening is important and if you are a frequent consumer of alcohol or smoking you could be at high risk of oral cancer.
Oral cancer is a very common type of cancer. It can develop in the tonsils, the back of the tongue, and the floor of the mouth. The most common symptoms are bleeding or sore throat, change in speech or swallowing difficulty, a white/gray/yellow patch on your tongue, and persistent pain in your neck and jaw area.
Oral cancers are types of soft tissue tumors that are caused by exposure to tobacco or alcohol. The risk factors for oral cancer include: smoking; alcohol use; advanced age; poor immune system function; human papillomavirus infection; certain genetic syndromes (such as Down syndrome); radiation therapy for other cancers and head and neck radiation therapy.
Oral cancer is a disease that can be prevented if it is caught early through oral cancer screening. The best way to screen for oral cancer is with regular visits to the dentist.
Oral cancer is a chronic disease that can spread to other parts of the body besides the mouth, including the throat, tongue, tonsils, and lymph nodes. It also causes pain and may cause sores in the mouth or throat.
If you notice any changes in your mouth or throat, see your dentist Boronia immediately for an oral cancer screening. They will be able to detect oral cancer early before it becomes more difficult to treat.
Why You Should Worry About Oral Cancer
While oral cancer is not the most common type of cancer, it is one that can affect many people. There are a few ways to reduce your chances of getting oral cancer by avoiding smoking, drinking alcohol, and excess eating.
What is the Risk of Oral Cancer?
Oral cancer is more common than most people think. There are many new cases found each year. But it’s not just older adults who should be concerned about this disease – anyone can develop oral cancer.
Symptoms of oral cancer vary depending on the stage of the disease, but they usually start with a sore or ulcer on the tongue or other mouth cavity and may progress to pain in the jaw, swelling, or difficulty chewing or swallowing.
To prevent oral cancer, people should quit smoking and drink less alcohol. You should also have an oral cancer screening at least once a year.
Keep Your Mouth Healthy by Using the Right Brush and Flossing Daily
Whether you are an adult or a child, oral hygiene is important. However, it can be difficult for some people to keep up with the proper dental hygiene routine. You need to find a way to maintain your teeth and gums.
A common problem that many people face is that they fail to develop good habits when it comes to their oral health. For example, they might brush their teeth once a day for ten minutes instead of twice on alternate days in order to save time. The result of this is that the longer they go without brushing their teeth leads them into bad habits which can lead to developing issues like tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer.
Oral cancer screening as well as seeing your dental hygienist every 6 months is critical to your overall health, not just your oral health. Schedule an appointment today.
Finding a dentist that you like and trust tends to take some people some time. It is recommended that you try out and meet a couple of dentists before settling on one that is good for you. However, the Boronia Dental Clinic would give you some tips on how to find a family dentist.
1-Ask family and friends.
This can be easily done on your social media. Ask who they use and why. This will give you a good insight as to how you might fit into that Boronia Clinic. Sometimes someone is perfect for one of your friends and family but maybe doesn’t work with your personality.
2-Schedule an appointment to see their clinic and the level of technology that they use.
Dental services have come a long way in recent years and the industry is always evolving. You will want to ensure that your dentist is using up-to-date technology and offers things like digital X Rays.
3-Is it conveniently located for you?
Is it near your home or work, so that it is easy for you to pop in and get the dental care taken care of.
4-What type of services do they offer?
Emergency services are a must with finding a family dentist. You want to find a Boronia Clinic that offers all dental services. This will allow you to have a convenient place to call should there be an emergency pop-up.
5-Look for training certifications and awards.
Do any of the dentists in the Boronia Clinic have special training? Perhaps they did some extra training in cosmetic dentistry. Maybe they are members of special groups. Ask about their training and what awards they may have. Remember, however, a good dentist doesn’t necessarily have to have any special awards. This is just something to keep in mind.
6-Get to know the staff
When you schedule an appointment, was it easy? Be sure that you like the staff at the family dental clinic as they will be a big part of your oral health care. You should be treated in a respectful manner and feel comfortable with them. They will be providing a lot of services while you are in the clinic such as teeth cleaning. You want to be comfortable with the dental hygienists and dental assistants.
7-Look up the online reviews for that particular Boronia Clinic
See what others have to say about them. This step is really important and you will thank us later. You can find out a lot about a particular Boronia Clinic if you start digging. There are many places where people can leave reviews. So, be sure that you poke around a bit and see what others have to say about a clinic you are considering.
8-Always trust your instincts
You decide on a dentist and go to meet them, but there is just something off. You don’t get their sense of humor or they don’t get yours. Whatever is off, always trust your instincts and try a different clinic. There are many options out there, finding who is best for you is your goal.
9-Check the rates and payment options
We all want a dentist that we can afford, of course. So be sure that you understand the payment arrangements and costs that you will understand and be able to afford. As if they have payment plans or offer payment plans, if this is something you will need. Many will offer something to help with the expenses of the dental treatments.
10-Ask questions.
You are hiring them. You have many choices and should ask questions that are of concern to you. This could be anything related to the clinic and atmophere. Don’t be shy, you are trying to find someone that you feel comfortable with and affordable. Be sure to ask questions and their recommendations for your current situation. After all, you are trying to make a good choice here.
Finding the right dentist might take some time. Don’t get discouraged as there are many different approaches by dentists to treat the same thing. That doesn’t necessarily mean that one is right and one is wrong, but it means you need to be comfortable with their choices for your oral health.
Your smile shows your confidence, you can only smile in public if your teeth are perfectly shining and you don’t breathe badly. Although visiting a dentist Boronia is important and you should schedule it but you should assist the unhealthy habits harming your teeth.
Let’s get into your eating habits that become the reason for your unhealthy teeth.
Seven Practices That Harm Your Dental Health
After conducting profound testing, we have come up with the 7 most common habits that degrade your teeth and you do them in your daily life.
1: Chewing and Biting
Do you chew with your front teeth; No, I am not talking about food. Chewing pen, pencil, cap, and other items is not only an annoying habit but it can cause you micro-fractures that will finally lead to major problems. Teeth are for chewing tasty food; don’t treat them as bottle openers or package openers. Biting crunching items like ice or nail-biting can cause regular toothache.
2: Flossing with Actual Floss
You might not want to brush after every snack or meal and it is not even suggested by the dentist. Quickly brushing your teeth after the meal has a negative impact so flossing would be a good option but you should use actual floss for the purpose.
People tend to use any unusual item, even fingernails to remove leftovers from teeth, the unsanitary items introduce more bacteria in your mouth.
3: Brushing too Hard
How you brush is more important than doing brush, you may be damaging your teeth and gum with a hard brush or heavy hand rubbing. Either you are using your brush for too long or not knowing about the perfect size bristle for your teeth. The adequate amount of pressure and softened bristle go easy on your teeth and does the job.
4: Grinding and Clenching
If someone tells you that you were grinding your teeth while asleep, you will definitely defer from them but the jaw soreness will be the proof and you may consider why my teeth are in bad shape. You can actually fracture your teeth with this habit without even knowing. This habit is built by anxiety, stress, or sleep disorder while dentists suggest mouth guards for protection.
5: Vaping and Tobacco
We were not over with the tobacco problems and yet we added vaping to our youngster’s life. Vaping has the same effects as tobacco while the addiction can lead to oral cancer the minor effects which you can see in your daily life are teeth stain, bad breath, and loss of jaw bone. Chewing tobacco may be good for your lungs but it constantly reduces blood flow to your gums causing gum disease.
6: Brushing with the Old Brush
Every product has an expiry time, brushes are to be used for 3 months, the bristle loses its stiffness, or when the bristle changes to frayed. These are signs that the brush is ready to be trashed, the old brush is doing more damage to the teeth than removing plaque and food around your tooth.
7: Acidic Food and Drinks
What worse can you do to your teeth! Well, there are more ways than you can imagine. With acidic food and soft drinks, you provide a heaven for the leftover bacteria. The excess amount of sugar leads to cavities and the high-starch food provides feed to the oral bacteria. The acid production by bacteria targets the enamel and causes tooth decay.
Consult A Doctor Today
Why gum is sticking to your teeth or why your gums are in pain to know the root cause of your pain and treatment, book an appointment today and let our dentist in Boronia give you the best ever treatment you deserve.