I, as a dentist, in my career have seen many a patients come to me after their problems become very bad. As humans, we usually try to treat things with home remedies for a while and ignore the fact that we should nip the problem in the bud, so as to avoid all the more pain as possible. What we don’t realise is that, if we have a slight tooth ache, popping a pill or chewing on a clove will just provide short term relief, and not actually target the real problem. Instead, when you visit a dentist right away, you get to know the actual cause behind the pain and also get the right treatment for it. Because, even a slight tooth ache can be caused by various bigger reasons, like a growing cavity or plaque, a wisdom tooth and so on. If you keep avoiding visiting the dentist, you’ll never actually know what is happening in your teeth, until it goes out of hand, and when you finally make up your mind to see your dentist, the problem has grown and now you’ll have to face more pain than what you would have had to, if you would have got it checked in the initial stage itself.

These are a few common symptoms and their underlying problems that we experience and usually ignore.

• A cavity that is growing, can cause a tooth ache often, along with headaches, swollen gums and even tooth loss.
• A wisdom tooth causes uneasiness, swollen cheeks, infections and bleeding.
• Sensitivity can cause discomfort, pain and a problem in consuming hot or cold food and drinks.
• Tooth erosion can cause broken bits in the mouth, along with pain and irritation.
• Misaligned teeth pose a problem in chewing, cause appearance issues and low self esteem
• Some other common issues that we tend to avoid, like fixing a missing tooth, getting a root canal, getting braces, whitening our teeth, fixing veneers & implants and more, thus ignoring all the problems and living with them, instead of just fixing them and leading a healthier life!

An important reason to not avoid regular visits to your dentist, that most of us are unaware about is that, our oral health is also linked to our general health. A lot of bigger health issues start with an indication from the mouth, which we usually tend to ignore. Like, bleeding gums might be more than what the eyes can see, they’re actually a sign of vitamin deficiency in our bodies and can also lead to heart and respiratory problems. While a pale tongue points towards the deficiency of haemoglobin, other issues in the mouth, like a burning sensation and not being able to eat spicy food can be related to diabetic issues too!

All in all, our oral health affects our general well-being to a great extent, these are a few red flags that only a dentist can make out! Taking care and maintaining a healthy mouth is of utter importance, which inturn requires regular dental check-ups, as well as immediate visits to your dentist, whenever you experience any kind of uneasiness in your mouth, teeth or gums.

It’s upto us to remove this stigma of hesitating a visit to the dentist, because ultimately we’re solving our own health problems and taking care of our only set of teeth! We at Smilekraft Dentistry try to educate our patients and others, on how important it is to get your teeth checked often, and we also strive to make your experience with us absolutely delightful! We take utter care in delivering the best services to you, with minimal pain and precise results, so you don’t have to worry even a single bit or hesitate to visit us for any of your teeth related issues!