Most people are familiar with common dental issues, such as tooth decay, wisdom teeth, missing teeth, dental trauma, tooth staining and discolouration, and gum disease. However, these major and common problems often push a range of lesser-known dental issues into the background.
In this article, The Caringbah Dentists will be identifying a few of these less common dental issues. While our Caringbah Dentist does not encounter these issues as often in our Sutherland Shire Dentist, they do still occur, and it pays to be aware of them.
1. Hypodontia
This rare condition is easy to detect, though not necessarily at first. It refers to when a number of your adult teeth never grow and come through. It can hard to detect in the initial stages, as children lose their baby teeth. Like many dental ailments, this condition is genetic in nature, so insights into your parents’ dental history can be helpful in diagnosing hypodontia. It is commonly corrected through dental implants or dentures at your dentist near me.
2. Shark teeth
Shark teeth refers to when permanent adult teeth begin to emerge while baby teeth are still in place. This results in two layers or rows of teeth, that resemble the teeth of a shark. This children’s dentistry issue can result in concern for parents, and often reflects the fact the roots of children’s teeth have been too slow to remove themselves. While confronting for parents and children, shark teeth will often resolve themselves. If your child has shark teeth and you are concerned, your Shire Dentist in Caringbah can offer guidance and treatment should this be necessary.
3. Tooth Cupping
Tooth cupping is a particular type of dental erosion that results in small ‘cups’ in your teeth, meaning indentations. These are located on the surface of the tooth that chews, and can tend to exaggerate and become more pronounced once erosion reaches the dentin and allows the surrounding enamel to erode more quickly. Tooth cups can make it hard to clean teeth properly and may require a check-up and clean at a bulk billing dentist in Caringbah. The issue is commonly redressed with dental bonding, sometimes fillings, and a range of other dental solutions.
4. Oral thrush
Oral thrush may present as spotty, white-coloured lesions on your tongue, cheeks, or mouth lining. While the responsible fungus, candida, is a normal organism, it can occasionally develop to a significant extent, resulting in thrush, particularly in younger children and older adults who have a compromised immune system. It may also be associated with redness and burning, and a cottony sensation in the mouth. Your Sutherland Shire Dentist can provide treatment options and advice to avoid thrush in the future.
5. Hereditary gingivial fibromatosis
Many people are fearful of gum recession, but this condition refers to when the gums enlarge and grow up and around the teeth more than they should, sometimes growing and swelling outward to cover almost all the tooth.
These are just a few examples of the lesser-known or rare dental conditions that exist. If you are experiencing strange symptoms, we encourage you to contact our bulk billing dentist Caringbah on (02) 9525 0595 or by emailing reception@thecaringbahdentists.com.au.
