2 Mouth Conditions Your Dentist Can Discover During Your Checkup
At each dental checkup, your dentist checks not only the health of your teeth and gums, but also the health of your entire mouth. This includes inside your cheeks, the roof and floor of your mouth, and all sides of your tongue. It is important to schedule and keep each of your dental checkups because there are many mouth conditions and diseases that your dentist can discover. Here is information about mouth sores and growths your dentist can find and some of their causes and treatments.
Mouth Sores
Mouth sores can appear in many places inside your mouth, including your lips, gums, tongue, and inside your check, showing up as white or red areas. You may be able to feel most mouth sores when they occur, but sometimes their position in your mouth can make it hard for you to see them. For this reason, regular dental checkups are important so your dentist can discover any hidden mouth sores and treat them when necessary.
Mouth sores can be caused by stress, anxiety, and a decrease in your body's immunity if you have recently been sick. If you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins 1, 2, 6, and 12, folic acid, zinc, and iron, you can also experience mouth sores. Also, certain medications you are taking can cause mouth sores, so talk to your dentist about any new medications you may be on to find out if they are causing the ulcers. Then, let your dentist know if you have any systemic diseases that affect various areas of your body, such as lupus and Crohn's disease, as these can cause oral sores.
Your dentist can help you determine what is causing the mouth sores and can help you get further testing done. This is to determine if any sores are caused by a viral infection or by a sexually transmitted disease so you can get treatment. You can also try taking a multivitamin to help a vitamin or mineral deficiency that may be causing the sores. In the meantime, use this simple home remedy mouthwash to help relieve any pain these sores cause you:
- Combine together one tablespoon of liquid allergy medicine with one tablespoon of liquid antacid medication, such as Pepto-Bismol.
- Swish this around in your mouth for 30 seconds, then spit it into the sink.
- Repeat this as often as necessary until the sores have healed.
The mixture of these liquid medications helps your mouth pain by numbing the ulcers and helping them to heal.
Mouth Growths
A mouth growth can appear on your gums, tongue, lips, or floor or roof of your mouth and be in the form of a soft or hard lump. It is important your dentist finds any lumps or growths during your checkup so you can treat its cause. Some growths can be painful, which can help you in locating the lump, but not all are. Some can be caused by bacterial infections or from an abscess, which will need to be treated with antibiotics or drainage of the area. The lump may also be a cyst, or canker sore protruding inside your mouth.
Most mouth growths are noncancerous, but there is a chance your mouth growth is cancerous or can turn into cancer. A growth on your gums caused by irritation is common, and your dentist can remove it with surgery. Irritants can include items such as ill-fitting dentures, a sharp tooth edge, or mouth jewelry. But, if you don't get rid of the irritant inside your mouth after the noncancerous growth is removed, in 10 to 40 percent of the time the growth can reappear. Occasionally, any long term irritation will cause precancerous changes to an area in your mouth, which can turn into cancer.
You should see your dentist immediately if you notice white, red, or mixed white-red areas inside your mouth that are not easily wiped away and remain for more than two weeks, see your dentist for an evaluation. This can also be an indication of mouth cancer. The sooner your dentist recognizes a cancerous lump in your mouth, the sooner you can get treatment and increase your chances of getting rid of it. Your dentist will likely have your doctor test your lump by biopsy or remove the entire lump for testing.
Use this information to help you get regular dental checkups so you can treat any mouth sores and lumps. And for more information, talk with your dentist or visit websites like http://www.cresthillfamilydental.com.