Are You Experiencing Tooth Decay?

Have you started to experience dental pain that you didn’t feel a few days ago? Are you wondering whether it’s because you have one or more cavities that you need to repair with tooth fillings? As much as we’d like to provide you with a clinical diagnosis to your questions in this article, the truth is that conditions beyond dental decay may cause your dental pain. We’ll take a look at some other culprits in a moment. If, however, you know that you need dental fillings in Easton, PA, from a previous diagnosis, we invite you to make an appointment with our dentist at Maple Tree Dental for gentle, compassionate care.

Common Reasons for Dental Pain

Although many people associate dental pain with the possibility of having a cavity, dental decay can be present without any symptoms. That’s why your dentist recommends annual x-rays during your dental exams to be able to diagnose and treat cavities while they are small. Delaying early treatment can lead to more costly and invasive treatments. That said, some symptoms that you may notice include a toothache or pain in the mouth and changes in the color of your teeth.

General dental pain can also lead to other concerns such as gum disease, root infection, damaged tooth enamel, and more. Although you can treat these conditions with general and restorative dentistry, you should receive care early.

For example, you can treat gum disease non-surgically if caught in its early stages. Treatment of root infection may prevent the need for a root canal. And repair and protection of damaged tooth enamel can prevent tooth loss when treated early.

Specific to tooth decay and cavities, here are a few complications that can follow ignored treatment protocol:

• Infection of the head and neck muscles
• Infection of the bloodstream
• Infection of the jawbones, heart, and deep neck tissues

Additionally, if the cavity is left untreated, the decay will consume the tooth structure and break down the tooth itself. When this happens, you require the removal and replacement of the tooth to achieve optimum oral health.

Are You Experiencing Bad Breath?

If you’re experiencing bad breath and believe that a cavity is a culprit, you may only be partially correct in your assumption. Bad breath (also known as halitosis) can accompany tooth decay. Still, it is also a symptom of gum disease, infection, some cancers, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or poor saliva production (which can lead to many dental concerns).

While there are many products marketed toward the correction of bad breath, which makes sense if you’ve just eaten a garlic-laden meal, you shouldn’t consider your everyday breath “bad.” As mentioned earlier, medical professionals diagnose and treat concerns as early as possible. Instead of searching for remedies such as mouthwashes, rinses, mints, and gum, a visit to our office will provide the solution you need. Plus, if your halitosis links to oral cancer, an early diagnosis could save your life.

Other Uses for Dental Filling Material

Did you know that dental filling material can also fill teeth gaps? That’s right. Dental bonding can make repairs if you have small gaps between your teeth or chipped teeth. Although dental veneers deliver similar results, dental bonding is less expensive – making it one of the more popular treatments for closing gaps between teeth.

Whether you are searching for a dentist near you to diagnose and treat a cavity or looking for a general dentist that also provides cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Farooq and her staff provide a full suite of services. Once patients learn that they can use dental fillings for cosmetic dentistry, they discover how convenient having a one-stop dentist can be!

Ready to Learn More?

Although oral healthcare has come a long way in recent years, trying to self-diagnose dental pain or bad breath is something that’s still best left to dentists. We use advanced technology combined with compassionate care to deliver the best possible experience for our patients.