8 Common Dental Problems and Their Causes

What are the most common dental problems? And What Dentist is Best in West Orange, NJ for Treatment?

This article discusses the eight most common types of dental problems faced and the best dentist in West Orange, NJ, who can identify the root cause and fix the problem.

Most of us will experience dental problems in our lives. It’s important to know what problems these could be to decide how to improve our oral hygiene and when we need professional help.

Tooth Decay

A protective layer of enamel covers your teeth. When we talk about tooth decay, we’re referring to damage to this enamel. Bacteria and acids that eat away at the enamel often cause tooth decay, and good oral hygiene is essential for preventing this decay. Symptoms of tooth decay include sensitivity, pain, stained enamel, or infection.

Gum Disease

Gum or periodontal disease occurs when plaque, made up of bacteria, grows. This happens when we don’t brush and floss as often as we should. As a result, the plaque continues to build up and damage the soft tissues of our gums. This can lead to severe problems like gum pain, tooth loss, and infections. Some causes of gum disease include smoking, genetics, poor diets, and diseases like diabetes.

Receding Gums

When your gums recede, they pull back from the tooth and expose more of the tooth at its root. This leads to empty pockets in your gums that let bacteria get inside. This causes further damage like bleeding, tooth loss, and infection. Gum disease, smoking, poor hygiene, and excessive oral hygiene are common causes of receding gums.

Bad Breath

Also known as halitosis, bacteria cause bad breath. These bacteria grow and multiply between brushings as they feed off bits of food and sugars stuck in and around your teeth. The longer you go between brushing, the more these bacteria grow and the worse the smells get. This is why you sometimes wake up with an unpleasant taste. Keeping your teeth clean will keep these bacteria at bay and help you eliminate that bad breath.

Dry Mouth

It’s so common to experience dry mouth or xerostomia that it might not seem like a problem, but extended or repeated dry mouth can cause bad breath, difficulty chewing, sore throat, and problems wearing dentures. It’s also linked to tooth decay, as food, plaque, and harmful acids don’t get washed away without saliva.

Some of the most common causes of dry mouth include smoking, recreational drug use, and medications. Other causes include aging, some cancer therapies, and other health conditions like diabetes, thrush, and autoimmune diseases.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, occurs when we clench and move our jaws. This can happen when we’re awake or asleep and don’t always realize that we’re doing it. It’s often the symptoms that show we’re grinding our teeth as it causes jaw pain, sensitivity, neck or face pain, headaches, and disruptions in our sleep. 

Anxiety is a common cause of bruxism as it becomes a tension-releasing habit or coping strategy. In addition, teeth grinding can cause complications for your teeth, such as wearing them down and cracking or breaking a tooth. The most common treatment for teeth grinding is using a mouth guard that you can find in pharmacies or custom-made by your dentist.

Sensitivity

Teeth or dentin hypersensitivity is quite common. This sensitivity often responds to temperature changes, such as when drinking cold soda or hot tea. Even too-cold weather can make your teeth ache.

The causes of tooth sensitivity vary. They can range from gum disease to worn tooth enamel to fractured teeth. But it can also be caused by brushing or grinding your teeth too hard. Because of the wide range of causes, it’s essential to pay attention to sensitive teeth and find the cause and proper treatment to prevent a problem from worsening.

Stained Teeth

Our teeth will inevitably discolor over time, but certain foods and habits speed up or worsen the process. For example, smoking and tobacco chewing habits can stain your teeth, as can drinking soda and eating sugary foods. More minor well-known causes include genetics, trauma, and certain medications.

Several treatment options are available for stained teeth, such as over-the-counter teeth whitening products or professional teeth whitening and veneers.

When to See a Professional

If you experience intense or prolonged pain or notice signs of infection like fever or swelling, it’s time to see a dentist. Leaving these common dental problems untreated can lead to permanent damage like tooth loss or cause an infection to spread. In addition, practicing good oral hygiene and stopping bad habits like smoking and excessive sugar consumption go a long way to keeping your mouth healthy.

Can we recommend Dr. Paul Feldman at Suburban Essex Dental in West Orange, New Jersey? Dr. Paul Feldman is a Top-rated NJ Dentist. He aligns himself with a friendly and courteous staff. Simply put, the entire office is warm and comfortable for adults, teens, and children.

If you are experiencing any dental problems and are seeking a great dentist and dental office to help, look no further than here and get in touch to schedule a dental consultation in the Suburban Essex Dental West Orange, NJ office.