Browsing: Dental Health
The page provides quick access to a list of common diseases, syndromes, health conditions, and other topics of health importance. The list is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to respective diseases sections that serve as a comprehensive and ultimate guide about the disease or health condition.
Effective and proper dental care of the mouth and teeth is highly important to a person’s general health and overall appearance. According to WHO, oral health is a state of being free from mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial wellbeing.
Untreated oral diseases or dental diseases can lead to gum problems, dental cavities, tooth loss, and many digestion-related issues. Scientists and dentists also believe that there could be a connection between certain dental problems or dental conditions and low birth weight, stroke, heart diseases, premature births, diabetes and certain other diseases. Primarily dental diseases are categorized into three types – formation of tooth decay, gum diseases, and oral cancers.
The most common oral diseases and conditions are dental cavities, periodontal (gum) disease, oral cancer, trauma from injuries, oral infectious diseases, gum infection, swollen gums, gum pain, and hereditary lesions. Dental cavities and periodontal disease are major causes of tooth loss.
One way to treat gum disease is to keep good oral hygiene. But sometimes, you may need dental and medical treatments as necessary. In some cases, root planing may be needed. This involves deep cleaning under your gums to get rid of the bacteria in your teeth. You may first be given local anaesthetic.
A layer of the enamel covers the part of the tooth that we see. Enamel protects the dentine underneath. A tooth becomes sensitive when the dentin is exposed to a change in the temperature and to certain types of foods. Thus the main cause of sensitivity is exposure of dentin.
In order to diagnose whether you have gum disease and how severe it is, your dentist may examine your mouth and look for plaque builup. He will also examine for any bleeding in the gums. He might ask you for dental X-rays to check for bone loss in areas with deeper pockets.
Loss of front teeth can be serious and problematic trauma for anyone. An obvious consequence of a missing front tooth would be a gap or a space due to the missing teeth. This gap would be the first thing to get noticed, every time you smile.
Your teeth are designed and aligned in a very particular way to work together to help you chew, speak and smile. It is difficult to do these tasks when certain teeth are missing. Your mouth can shift and your face looks older even if your back teeth are missing.
Diagnosis of bad breath is done by a dentist to determine the cause of the disease. Identifying bad breath (halitosis) is very easy, but detecting its cause is difficult. In order to diagnose the bad breath, the dentist tries a systematic approach, which includes a series of steps such as review of medical history and oral examination.
Treatment of tooth decay (dental cavities) depends on how bad your cavity is. Most often, the dentist extracts and removes the decayed portion of your tooth. He fills in the hole with a filling made of a composite resin or other material. Allergies to fillings are rare.
Tooth sensitivity (also known as dentin hypersensitivity) is a common dental problem that involves pain or discomfort in teeth whenever certain substances or temperatures are encountered. The pain is very sharp and is often sudden. But it lasts for a temporary period only generally. The sensitivity may vary from mild discomfort to severe pain.
A good oral hygiene can help you avoid cavities and tooth decay. You should use toothpaste that contains fluoride. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and ideally after every meal. Use a mouth rinse with fluoride if you are at a high risk and visit your dentist regularly.
The cause of tooth decay is acid formed from bacteria when they dissolve the enamel of your teeth. The acid is produced from food particles that remain in the teeth. If the breakdown is greater than build up, cavities do form. Caries is also associated with poor cleaning of the mouth.