Dentists are qualified people you turn to for your oral health problems, tooth decay being the most common one. There are other, rather more unusual but serious oral problems that your dentist might be able to figure and help you with.
- Dry Mouth: The absence of saliva makes the mouth more vulnerable to bacteria and acid attacks from sugary and acidic foods respectively hence leading to tooth decay, soreness, infections and ulcers.
- Oral Herpes: Exposure to herpes virus causes soreness and swelling, affecting the gum tissues. It also increases the saliva production leading to blisters. Care should be taken as oral herpes can easily become active from a sun exposure, fever or stress. However, this problem can be treated with antiviral medication and mouthwash.
- Gum Inflammation and Bleeding (Gingivitis): Bacteria accumulation in the mouth may cause the gums to get inflamed, eventually leading to lost teeth. And if not taken care of promptly, may turn into periodontitis, severe gum bleeding and infection.
- Mouth and/or Tongue Burning: This problem is caused due to thrush, a fungal infection in the mouth caused by the birth of the yeast ‘candida albicans’. The reasons for the growth of this fungus are commonly dry mouth, bacterial imbalance in the body, a weak immune system or the use of dentures. The most common symptom of this problem is white spots appearing on the tongue and eventually covering the whole mouth
- Oral Cancer: Oral cancer is a common type of cancer caused by high alcohol and tobacco consumption. Exposure to the sun may also affect the external parts of mouth, especially the lips. It is therefore advisable to make frequent dentist visits to detect the early signs of this common cancer.
Diabetic people, especially, should be more regular with visits to the dentist as almost all of the oral health issues mentioned above stem from diabetes.
