I don’t think there’s many people that enjoy going to the dentist, but it’s an important thing to do for our dental hygiene. Here are some signs that you need to get to the dentist, even if you don’t want to.

Often we take our dental health for granted – until we get a toothache or we notice that we wake up with migraines and neck pain every day. Dental health is important to our overall health. Here are a few signs that you need to head to the dentist! 

Toothache 

Perhaps one of the most obvious signs that you need to go to the dentist is when you get a toothache. The problem is many people choose to treat it with painkillers and hope that it subsides. Toothache is usually a sign there is something that needs to be checked out, and it has many causes too. A toothache could be indicative of an abscess, damaged fillings, or a broken tooth. 

Wobbly teeth

Once your milk teeth have left, our adult teeth are supposed to be a permanent fixture for us. However, if you notice that your teeth are wobbling or moving around, this could be a sign of bone loss or infection. 

Any shifting, wobbling, or moving in your teeth should be reported to your dentist so that they can check for any issues. 

Receding gums

Our gums will naturally recede as we get old; in fact, around 88% of those over the age of 65 will have some recession on at least one or more teeth. However, bum recessions are a key indicator of gum disease. 

Retreating gums, no matter what has caused it, will begin to expose the roots of the tooth and leave it open for infection, decay, pain, and tooth loss. If it is spotted early by your dentist, you can take action and get treatment to slow or reverse the process. 

Dry mouth 

One of the signs of a healthy mouth is to have some saliva. Saliva washes food particles but also helps to neutralize the acids in our mouth. 

When the mouth is dry, it is usually a sign of illness, and it may or may not be a dental issue. Your dentist will be able to check if there is something happening in the mouth causing dryness – and even offer advice on how you can increase the moisture in your mouth to protect your teeth in the meantime. 

Bleeding

A surprising amount of people will ignore bleeding in the mouth – but if it happened anywhere else on the body, we’d head to the doctors. Bleeding gums might mean that you are developing a disease in the gums known as periodontal disease. It is an infection in the part of the gum that holds the teeth in place. Over time it will lead to tooth loss. 

You can also spot this gum issue when the gums are bright red and swollen, or perhaps they are giving off some discharge. 

When it comes to our teeth, the more we put off talking to our dentist, the more likely it is that we will end up with painful infections and the likelihood of tooth loss. 

Taking care of your teeth is one of the important ways that you can take care of your overall appearance; here are some others: 5 Safe and Effective Ways for Improving Your Appearance | Drunk On Pop.