My Mouth is Swollen and I Don’t Know Why – What Do I Do Next?
It’s important to remember that oral swelling can be caused by a slew of various reasons. Infections, allergies, cysts, viruses, an exostosis or neoplasms can all be potential causes. Of course, if you notice new or unexplained swelling in your mouth, it’s time to get in and see your dentists.
In many cases, painful swelling in your mouth can indicate a dental infection, often requiring drainage and treatment with antibiotics. Even if the pain diminishes after a few days, still get in and see your dentists, since the source of the infection needs to be determined to be properly treated.
If an endodontic abscess is the cause of the pain, a root canal or extraction may be necessary. The tooth may also be vertically fractured, which (if it’s severe enough) will require extraction.
Now, as a bit of a stress-reliever, not all oral swelling is caused by infection; oral cysts are quite common, and can cause moderate to severe pain.
No matter what you may believe the cause of oral swelling or pain to be, the important thing to remember is to see your dentist when these symptoms arise; they can’t be treated if they’re not brought to your dentist’s attention!
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What are Those Dark Spots Between your Teeth?
A common question many dental patients have (especially older patients) is why they have dark spaces between their teeth. Dental professionals commonly refer to these as “black triangles,” which tend to show themselves as you get older, but can occur at any age.
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Oral Health Tips for Patients with Braces
Keeping your teeth clean and sparkling with braces is a difficult task, to say the least. It seems many believe it’s either impossible or close to it to keep clean, bright teeth and healthy gums with wearing braces. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Use these tips and tricks to keep a clean, bright healthy smile while wearing braces:
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Do Your Gums Bleed When You Brush? This Might Be Why.
Bleeding gums when brushing is a far more common occurrence than you might think; it’s usually simply because your gums are inflamed. While inflamed gums can sometimes be linked to an infection or a serious systemic problem like leukemia or a virus, the likely cause is gingivitis. The good news? This can be eliminated by improving your oral care at home, or with a thorough dental cleaning by your dentist!