5 Oral Health Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

It’s important to pay close attention to your mouth. Issues with your teeth, gums, tongue, and breath can be very insightful for your overall health.

Here are 5 oral health symptoms you shouldn’t ignore:

(1) Sensitive teeth

If your teeth become sensitive to cold, hot, or sugar, this could be indicative of an infection, cavity, lack of tooth enamel, cracked tooth, or an exposed root.

(2) Sore & inflamed gums

This usually means you have gingivitis, which is also known as “gum disease”. Gingivitis is usually not painful, which is why you need to regularly check your gums and also ensure that you are brushing properly.

The good news is that this can be treated and even reversed in early stages.

(3) Sores in your mouth or on your tongue

Sores, white or dark red patches, or lumps could possibly indicate cancer.

It is obviously imperative to see your dentist immediately if you notice anything like this and they can examine you and have imaging tests done, etc.

Certain things can help prevent oral cancer such as proper nutrition, quitting smoking, cutting back on (or eliminating) alcohol, and the use of lip balm to protect you from harmful UV rays.

(4) White spots on your teeth

Aside from being aesthetically unappealing, this usually indicates a loss of mineral content on the teeth’s surface (enamel) and is also a sign of tooth decay.

In children, this may be a sign of too much fluoride, also known as dental fluorosis.

(5) Bad breath

Aside from being embarrassing, bad breath is likely a sign that you need to improve your dental hygiene. This means brushing at least twice a day, flossing everyday, and even using a tongue scraper to cut down on the growth of bacteria.

It can also be a sign that you may not be consuming enough carbohydrates. Low carb diets tend to contribute to halitosis because certain chemicals are released in the breath as the body burns fat called ketosis. This happens because your body starts to use other fats and proteins as your source of energy.

So although you may be losing weight with a low carb diet, is it really worth the bad breath?

Book an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible if you notice any of these warning signs and make the appropriate lifestyle changes to help prevent these issues in the future. Your health is too important to ignore!