Dr Darryl Marsh writes… In this blog entry I take a closer look at the top five dental warning signs that you should not ignore, or they may cost you a lot more pain and money down the track.
“These 5 signs are warnings of much more painful and expensive problems to come”
The top 5 dental warning signs
- Pain when eating or having hot or cold drinks
- Food catching between the teeth
- Bleeding gums when you brush and floss
- Bad breath
- Cracked, broken or chipped old fillings or teeth
These dental problems take some time to develop, and may be overlooked until an abscess develops and causes you pain.
When the dental problem has reached this stage, in most cases the teeth are not saveable.
If you experience any of the 5 warning signs listed above, I would recommend you act as soon as you can, regardless of whether your desired outcome is:
- to be free from pain
- the ability to eat whatever you want
- to have a beautiful smile, or
- to have fresh breath.
Ignore these dental warning signs and you will pay (more) later
It is important to remember that these 5 signs are warnings of much more painful and expensive problems to come.
Fortunately with today’s modern techniques a beautiful smile and good dental health is easier then ever to achieve and almost everyone, no matter what their condition, can be helped to improve their comfort, the appearance of their smile and the ever-important ability to chew.
The other important reason not to ignore these warning signs is the effect dental problems can have on your overall health.
Dental problems are linked to major health problems
Recent research links the bacteria that causes gum infection to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, lung disease and even low birth-weight babies. The effect of dental problems on these diseases was shown to be equivalent to those of smoking.
In addition, we know that the chewing ability of dentures is only one fifth that of your natural teeth. This means people wearing dentures are unable to chew their food effectively and they cannot eat the same variety of foods as people with their natural teeth. This cannot only be embarrassing socially, but often results in poor nutrition.
Therefore if you still have your own natural teeth it is well worth heeding these warning signs and holding onto them for as long as you possibly can.
Keep smiling!
