Losing sleep is no laughing matter and it can lead to serious health issues, both physically and mentally, and there are certain dental issues that can lead to lack of sleep. In this article, we will highlight a few common dental issues that can cause a disturbance of the sleep pattern.
Photo of female patient with dentist over her checking up teeth and drilling them
- Gum Disease – Gum disease can be extremely painful, enough to keep a person awake at nights. If your gums are swollen and painful to the touch, this is a sure sign of a gum infection. All it takes to cause a gum infection is a slight cut in the gum tissue and once it becomes infected, it will become more painful as time passes. People with poor oral hygiene are more likely to suffer from gum disease and if you are not brushing and flossing after every meal and before and after sleep, then you are at risk of contracting gum disease.
- Teeth Grinding– Grinding your teeth can cause the tooth enamel to wear away and if you suffer with this condition, you should visit your local dentist, who can recommend a suitable treatment. The treatments vary and include wearing a special device at night, which prevents you grinding your teeth, and unless you do something, the lack of sleep will not go away.
- Cavities – If you have cavities, eventually the pain will become unbearable and you are advised to see your dentist sooner rather than later, as this will minimise the damage. The dentist would remove all the decayed material from the cavity, then prepare a composite filling, which would be the same colour as your teeth, a far better option than the traditional amalgam filling that we once used. Indeed, many adults who had amalgam fillings, have had them removed and replaced by a composite filling that does not contain mercury, but not all dentists are qualified to remove amalgam fillings. White composite filling material is now freely available and most dentists use it as opposed to amalgam, which can be harmful.
- Toothache– Perhaps the most common dental problem that can keep you awake, toothache can be extremely painful, so much so that a person cannot sleep and, in such cases, taking pain medication is advised. In the morning, you can make an appointment with the Northbridge dentist Sailors Bay Dentistry, who can carry out an oral examination to determine the cause of the toothache. Too many people think that toothache will somehow mysteriously leave as quickly as it came, yet this is most definitely not the case and the sooner you see a dentist, the better.
The fact of the matter is that any dental condition that causes pain can lead to a lack of sleep, and in order to minimise the risk of experiencing pain, you should schedule a check-up every 6 months, which will allow the expert to examine your teeth and gums, looking for anything out of the ordinary. If we do not get enough quality sleep, this can have a negative impact on our overall health, which can lead to serious health issues.