The Realities Of Poor Oral Health

A few ‘home truths’ about how neglecting our teeth and gums can negatively affect our lives

Even with all the knowledge now widely available to us about the importance of good oral health, it is still a fact that many people avoid seeing a dentist on a regular basis, only making an appointment when they are in pain. Studies also find that, especially during Covid lockdowns, many people let their oral health care slide, often brushing their teeth just once a day, and sometimes not at all. We also know that only around 20% of the UK population use dental floss as well, increasing gum disease problems.

Prevention is a key strategy for having a healthy mouth and neglecting this is a ‘head in the sand’ approach. It can be all too easy to plod on, day by day, when our teeth are causing us no immediate problem, but this approach can only lead to problems eventually occurring with our teeth and gums, sometimes making our lives miserable.

In today’s Mike Allen’s Dental Clinic blog, we are going to take a look at how some of these problems can affect our Burton patient’s daily lives.

Tooth decay

Eventually, anyone with tooth decay that doesn’t seek treatment, will know about it. Discomfort may well be mild at first but this will only get worse until the toothache becomes unbearable and you have to seek emergency dental treatment. A decaying tooth is also very likely to be a weakened tooth and you may find that, if you don’t get it restored in time, it starts to break away. Early intervention for tooth decay could mean that you only require a small filling. Ignoring it, in the hope that it will go away (it won’t), could mean either a larger filling, a crown or even the loss of the tooth. Although pain is the most noticeable effect of tooth decay, you may also experience an unpleasant taste in your mouth and your breath may smell as well.

Gum disease

Gum disease is surprisingly common, especially gingivitis, its earlier stage. The fact that so few people use dental floss is at least partly responsible for this. Although many people focus on tooth decay as the most serious problem, gum disease can also be devastating for our oral health and, if not treated in time, can lead to tooth loss.

Very early stage gum disease may be barely noticeable and many of us will have it for short periods of time when we let our oral care slip a little, for example, when we are ill. Mostly though, this will be reversed when we start brushing and flossing again. Having your teeth and gums professionally cleaned by our Burton dental hygienist is thoroughly recommended as well and will give you an excellent chance of avoiding this problem.

As gum disease advances, you are likely to start noticing symptoms which will affect your daily life. Sore and inflamed gums are very common and can make eating far from an enjoyable experience. This may even cause you to feel you need to cancel social events and other engagements. The inflammation often causes the gums to redden as well, spoiling your smile into the bargain.

Socially, one of the worst things about gum disease is the halitosis (bad breath) it can cause. This can be extremely pronounced and very noticeable by those around you. If you notice that people aren’t standing as close to you as they used to do, when you are talking to them, it is time to have your oral health checked by one of our Burton dentists.

Stained teeth

Although the above are ‘medical’ issues and help should be sought immediately if you suspect you might be affected by them, there is a third problem which is also very common. Whilst not threatening the health of our teeth, this can cause significant problems for those that have this problem, namely stained or discoloured teeth. Much research has been done that has found that we are initially attracted to a person’s smile before anything else. This is important, whether in romantic or work situations. We often only have a short period of time to make a good first impression and there is little doubt that most of us would like to be greeted by an attractive white smile rather than a dull or stained one.

Although we can delay the onset of tooth discolouration by avoiding food and drinks that are known to stain them, most of us will eat or drink these at least some of the time. Even if we lived a ‘pure’ life in this regard and avoided them altogether, our teeth would become dull and discoloured eventually. This is due to the natural darkening of the layer beneath the enamel surface of our teeth. As this darkens, it often causes a dull yellow colour to show through the translucent enamel.

At this stage, the only way to reverse this is with a teeth whitening procedure, or where they are very heavily stained, such as in a smoker, teeth veneers may offer a better solution.

Your teeth and gums may seem fine at the moment but this can soon change. The best way to maintain a healthy mouth is with better home care, including efficient brushing and flossing, as well as regular check up and hygienist appointments at our Burton dental practice.

If your oral health care has slipped a little, now is the best time to get it back on track. For an appointment to see one of our friendly team, please call Mike Allen’s Dental Practice on 01283 845345. We look forward to helping you.