Your body experiences pain as a way to warn you that something is wrong that you need to get checked out, including in your mouth. If you are experiencing pain or other ailments with your teeth, gums, and jaw, it should not be ignored. Visit your dentist if you have any of the following things occur.

Tooth Pain

If you have ever have throbbing or pain in your teeth, do not ignore it and assume it is something minor. Even if it ends up being nothing, in most cases, you have a cavity or worse. If you choose to ignore tooth pain, you may find yourself in the dentist's chair in a few months having a more severe procedure, such as a root canal or extraction. It is best to get it taken care of now to avoid the more complex procedures, help save the tooth, and reduce your risk of infection. This includes mild, throbbing pain, and severe, sharp pain, and everything in the middle.

Bleeding Gums

Many people believe that bleeding gums is normal and just from brushing too hard, but this is rarely the case. Having bleeding gums when you are brushing or flossing your teeth is often a sign of gum disease. This is another issue with your oral health that can be made worse by ignoring it. If you have early signs of gum disease, get to your dentist right away to start having it treated before it leads to periodontal disease, which can be much worse and cause a host of other problem. With gingivitis, you can have a deep cleaning and hopefully prevent periodontal disease.

Swollen Face or Neck

When dental problems progress and lead to infection, you might experience pain first, but there are also other signs to look out for. One is having swelling in your face, particularly in your checks next to the side of your mouth that is causing pain, or in your throat where the lymph nodes are located. Usually, the swelling occurs in the cheeks when the infection is in the upper row of teeth or in the lymph nodes, and it occurs in the neck when the infection is in the lower row of teeth. Once an infection causes swelling, it is already starting to worsen, so you need to get into a dentist right away.

Pain in the Jaw

Jaw pain may be from something that isn't too serious, but still something your dentist can treat. For example, you might have TMJ disorder or you may be clenching or grinding your teeth at night. In both cases, a mouth guard made custom for you to wear at night can be very helpful. Your jaw might also hurt due to your teeth alignment, requiring orthodontic treatment. If the jaw pain is from an infected tooth or wisdom teeth that need to be pulled, your dentist can inform you of that as well.

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