Your oral health is a core component of your general wellness. Given the direct access to your digestive, skeletal, and cardiovascular system, protecting your teeth and gums against infection should always be taken seriously. Without proper healthcare, an infection could pose significant risk. Let’s look at the dangers of a tooth infection.
Dangers of Tooth Infection
If you want to protect your long-term health, then it is vital that you understand the tell-tale signs of a tooth infection so that you know when to visit your dentist in Beverly Hills. Failing to notice that something is wrong or ignoring an ongoing infection can be very dangerous otherwise.
Why Tooth Infections Are So Dangerous
Your teeth are hardy, and they’re built to resist infection whenever possible. Unfortunately, changes in the modern person’s diet makes daily defense a little more challenging. In comparison to our ancient ancestors, we simply eat more simple carbs and sugars which allow bacteria in our mouths to thrive.
The good news is that our mouths are still pretty good at putting up a defensive wall. With proper oral hygiene we can keep most infections at bay. Even when an infection does take hold, they tend to move slowly due to continuous resistance.
The slow progression of tooth infections may be one of the reasons why we, as a society, don’t take them as seriously as we should. The reality is that an unchecked oral infection of any sort has the ability to spread to the bone and into our blood supply. In fact, recent research connects poor oral health to a chronic increase in cardiovascular risk.
Recognizing a Tooth Infection
Of course, the slow progression of a tooth infection can make it more difficult to detect in its earliest stages. Unless you’re visiting your dentist every six months as recommended, you may not notice an infection until you’re experiencing regular discomfort.
- Other signs of an ongoing oral infection include:
- Discoloration
- Bleeding gums
- Swollen gums
- Sensitivity to cold or hot liquids
- Recurrent toothache
- Painful chewing
- Chronic bad breath
In each case, these symptoms are a sign that something is causing irritation. While there are other potential causes, bacteria are the most common offenders. To be sure of what is happening with your oral health, you will need to schedule an appointment with your dentist.
Diagnosing a Tooth Infection
When you visit your dentist with a suspected infection, they will use two diagnostic tools to start. First, your dentist will do a visual examination of your oral cavity. Second, they will likely send you for a couple of x-rays so that they can see the inside of your teeth.
Even if your infection shows up outwardly obvious x-rays will prove needed to understand the full extent of the issue. Knowing how far the infection has spread and whether it has moved into the surrounding bony structures will prove crucial to determining treatment.
Treating a Tooth Infection
When you catch a tooth infection early it can usually be treated with a filling. This routine procedure is used to remove decaying tooth and replace it with a composite material that fills the hole and provides a smooth, easy-to-clean surface.
With that said, there may be times when a filling is not an appropriate treatment. If the pulp of the tooth is infected, then you may require a root canal in Beverly Hills. It’s still a fairly straightforward procedure, but it will require your dentist to get the center of the tooth to remove all damaged tissue.
Without the complete support of the tooth’s center, the tooth is unable to stand alone. To provide the necessary structure, your dentist will cover what remains of your tooth with a dental crown. Fortunately, dental crowns can be made to look exactly like real tooth using either porcelain or resin.
