Oral Health Problems Treated by Your Mission Viejo Dentist

Knowing when to visit Ballou Dental Arts at our Mission Viejo dentist office is important because many oral health problems start out small and develop into major issues if left untreated. However, when you visit the dentist in a timely fashion, it is often possible to catch conditions before they spread and before they cause significant discomfort. This is the ideal scenario and why we recommend that you visit our office twice a year for a dental examination and teeth cleaning.

There are common signs you should visit the dentist, including:

• A major toothache that does not go away after brushing your teeth
• Gums that bleed on a regular basis, are swollen, or pulling away from your teeth
• A tooth that has turned grey or black
• Damaged or missing teeth

However, there are additional oral health problems that also require attention, even though these issues do not connect with visiting the dentist. Here are a few that people need to be aware of.

Thrush, or Candidiasis

Thrush is a condition that develops due to having too much of the candida fungus in the mouth. The body needs this fungus and has some level of it at all times. However, when there is too much in the body, an individual can develop a fungal infection that requires treatment. Thrush is something that will create a white film on the tongue that people cannot scrape or brush off. If an individual notices this when brushing his or her teeth, you should call our dental office and schedule an examination. Ballou Dental Arts can let the patient know if he or she does indeed have thrush and then how to treat the condition.

Dental Abscess

When the nerve of the tooth suffers a bacterial infection, the individual can develop a dental abscess. This type of infection can be painful and make it difficult for the individual to eat or bite down without experiencing discomfort. When visiting us for an appointment, we can diagnose and treat this condition. Since a dental abscess is typically not an isolated condition, we will identify other areas of infection to treat as well.

Canker and Cold Sores

If an individual develops red bumps or sores inside the mouth, visit our dental office. These sores can be canker sores, which are not dangerous or contagious but develop due to a weakened immune system, or even something the individual eats. Cold sores, on the other hand, are due to a virus and are highly contagious. The third cause of red bumps is oral cancer, which is why we recommend the patient visits our office if the red bumps or sores do not go away after a few days. We can examine the bumps and if they appear to be cancerous, we will refer patient to an oncologist for further testing.

Oral Cancer

Other signs of oral cancer include rough patches inside the mouth, hard lumps and bumps, and the teeth moving out of position. If an individual notices any of these signs, then he or she needs to visit our dental office right away.

Schedule an Appointment

Call our office any time you notice something irregular with your mouth. Early detection and treatment is key to recovery, so do not delay in scheduling an appointment.