If You Have Gum Disease, This Might Be Why Your Teeth Are Starting To Hurt

25 June 2019
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

Share

Having gum disease can be a painful and uncomfortable enough condition for you without having your teeth also begin to hurt. Unfortunately, teeth do sometimes become painful for people who have gum disease, and problems can get worse if the pain is neglected. Here's what you need to know about your developing discomfort.

What Gum Disease Does

Gum disease, as you likely know, is a form of infection of the gums. There are multiple stages, and it's what happens in the later stages that can cause a problem for your teeth.

Early on, like when you have gingivitis, the gums still do a really good job of protecting your teeth. They form a tight seal around the base of the tooth, preventing food gunk and bacteria from getting in. However, when the gums start to get sicker, this grip loosens. In some cases, the gums can recede away from the tooth, pulling back and making teeth look longer in the process.

The Parts of the Tooth

Unfortunately for people with gum disease, the way that teeth are made by the body is intended to go hand-in-hand with healthy gums. The teeth are protected by a hard shell of enamel that prevents severe damage every time you eat, but only part of the tooth is encased in enamel. The part of your tooth that's normally hidden by your gums has next to no enamel, meaning that this part of the tooth has next to no protection.

Result

Unfortunately, while your discomfort may seem like punishment enough, problems can still get worse. Without treatment, as long as your gums remain receded, you will continue to have pain when you try to eat, drink, and brush your teeth. The problems don't even stop there.

Since that part of your teeth has no enamel, it's much easier to develop a cavity in the area. And without enamel for the cavity to slowly break through first, the cavity could become deep enough that a root canal or extraction becomes necessary. This is one of the reasons why gum disease often leads to tooth loss.

Keeping your teeth healthy starts with keeping your gums healthy. It's time to visit a dentist to have your gum disease treated so that the rest of your mouth can be safe and pain-free, too. Make an appointment and start the process of getting back to a comfortable, healthy-looking smile.

Go to sites like http://www.brooksidedentalgroup.com for more information.