Poor oral health can lead to damaged teeth, and damaged teeth can start to cause problems that you might not expect. Your oral health is connected to your overall health in many ways.
Sometimes you can see damage to your teeth in the form of black spots, cracks or breaks, but you may have dental problems even if your teeth look good. While pain is a common symptom of tooth damage, some symptoms may not seem to involve your teeth at all even if they are related to the problem.
1. Toothache
Tooth pain is almost always a sign of damage to the nerves of the teeth. If tooth decay is present inside of a tooth, the tooth is in danger of dying. Toothache is an indication that something is wrong and intervention from a dentist may be necessary to save the tooth.
2. TMJ Paim
Temporomandibular joint disorder is a painful condition that affects the jaw joints. When teeth are crooked or out of alignment, too much pressure is exerted on the jaws when you chew and speak. This can lead to symptoms of TMJ disorder including sore jaws, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, headaches, neck pain and ringing in the ears.
3. Snoring
A misaligned bite can cause or exacerbate sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that is characterized by breathing problems and snoring. Sleep apnea can be caused when the tongue falls back and blocks the free passage of air while you are sleeping. Sleep apnea makes you wake up to catch your breath repeatedly throughout the night.
Dental restoration can help
Dental restorations are used to repair damaged teeth, replace missing teeth or realign a bad bite to restore jaw function to normal and relieve the stress that causes TMJ symptoms. Dental restorations can involve multiple treatment options if necessary including dental crowns, fillings, bonding, implants and orthodontics.
Learn more
If you have damaged teeth or symptoms including toothache, headaches, snoring, trouble sleeping, ringing in the ears, jaw pain, popping sounds in the jaws, difficulty opening and closing your mouth or pain in the neck or shoulders, dental restoration could improve your oral and your overall health. If you would like to learn more, please schedule a consultation with your Milwaukee dentist.