Gum disease is a serious condition that can lead to bone loss as well as permanent tooth loss. Fortunately, gum disease doesn’t usually require emergency dentistry in Bloomington. Gum disease develops over time, typically taking years to cause irreversible damage. Thanks to the slow rate of normal gum disease’s progression, it’s relatively easy to stay in front of gum disease. By brushing twice per day, flossing once per day, and visiting your dentist at Valley Alder every six months, you can nip gum disease in the bud. So, is gum disease a dental emergency?

The Development of Serious Gum Disease

Unfortunately, if your oral health routine is a little lax and it has been over a year since you’ve been to see the dentist, statistics show that there’s a good chance you have some form of gum disease. You might notice your gums are a little pinker than usual. They may also appear a bit swollen. This is a clear sign that you need to schedule a professional cleaning to help remove bacteria and plaque before the infection worsens.

Is Gum Disease a Dental Emergency?

When gum disease is left untreated it can cause your gums to shrink away from your teeth and move on to infect the surrounding bone and tissue. Chronic gum disease even increases your risk of heart attack and stroke likely thanks to the continuous inflammation caused by your natural immune response to infection. In some cases, gum disease may become so severe that it does actually warrant a trip to your emergency dentist in Bloomington. These are the key warning signs telling you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

The “Loose Tooth” Sensation

Once you have all of your adult teeth you should never experience the sensation of a loose tooth ever again. Adult teeth are held firmly in place by several structures, including the jaw and gums. If you ever feel like one of your teeth is loose, then that is a sign that something is seriously wrong with one of those underlying structures.

Serious Toothache

If you have ever had a bad toothache, you know it’s a misnomer because ache doesn’t quite cover it. A toothache can be very painful. In some cases it will radiate out through your jaw, so you may feel pain throughout the whole side of your face. In most cases that indicates that the infection has spread to the nerve endings within your tooth.

Swollen Jaw

Unless there is an obvious physical reason for you to have a swollen jaw, you need to see your dentist immediately. Although there are several reasons gum disease may present this way, what it usually indicates is that the infection has spread to a dangerous extent.

Pus of Any Kind

If you’re tasting something foul or actually seeing pus in your mouth, then you need to go to your emergency dentist as soon as possible. With these symptoms, you may have an abscess. This is a very serious symptom. Depending on where the infection has traveled, it could damage the bone, sinuses, and even the brain.

Numbness

Pain is bad, but numbness is often also bad. If you aren’t experiencing sensation around a tooth or a section of your gum, you need to contact your emergency dentist. The infection may have either impacted or damaged the nerves in the area.

Making the Call

When it comes to our oral health, it can be tempting to brush off what may seem like minor inconveniences. Our teeth are naturally quite sturdy, and we tend to take them for granted as a result. The truth is that we need to be taking care of our teeth on a daily basis if they’re going to continue working properly over the coming decades. Sometimes that means contacting your emergency dentist because you’re experiencing symptoms that could immediately endanger your oral health.