Your Oral Health Questions Answered by a Dentist Near 90045

If you are looking for a dentist near 90045, we invite you to call our office and schedule an appointment.  Our team will ensure that you remain entirely comfortable during your appointment and that your teeth and gums are in the best possible health. We provide comprehensive dental care and during exams, we take the time to answer any questions that our patients have regarding oral health. Here are some of the ones we are asked on a regular basis.

What is the most common reason for a toothache?

A toothache can be caused by something minor like food getting stuck in between teeth.  Sometimes the piece of food is so small that it can’t be felt. However, if you brush your teeth and floss, you should remove whatever is there.  If your tooth still hurts afterwards you probably have a cavity, infection or gum disease; all of which can be treated in our dental office.

What is dry mouth?

As a dentist near 90045, we treat a lot of patients with dry mouth.  This is especially common in diabetics and the elderly.  With this condition, the body doesn’t produce enough saliva, and the mouth becomes dry as a result.  This leads to bad breath and can also increase your risk of getting a cavity or gum disease because the body can’t wash away food particles and plaque like it would if you had sufficient saliva.  If you suffer from this condition, it is more important than ever to visit the dentist, and we recommend that you increase your water intake.

Is it normal to have red or white bumps in your mouth?

No, it is not.  If you have red and white bumps inside of your mouth, hard lumps, or rough patches, it could be a sign of oral cancer.  As a dentist near 90045, we recommend that you schedule a dental exam if you have any of these symptoms.  That way we can determine if there is cause for concern.  If it looks like cancer, we may need to do a biopsy so that the lab can test your tissue for cancerous cells.  We will warn you, however, that these symptoms can also be a result of eating something acidic or high in sugar that irritated your mouth.  They could also be cold sores.  With that in mind, you may want to wait a few days and see if they go away prior to scheduling an appointment.

My filling feels loose, should I come in?

Yes, you should come in right away.  Typically, a filling is placed after the decayed portion of the tooth is removed when a dentist treats a cavity.  The filling replaces the portion of your tooth structure that was lost to decay.  The challenge is that your tooth may experience additional decay that will widen the area that your filling needs to cover.  When this happens, your filling may come loose and need to be replaced with a larger one.