What Are Common Dental Issues People Face in Winter? (Advice from a Brampton Dentist)
When it is extremely cold outside, exposed skin is not the only part of us affected by the drier climate; cold temperatures can also affect our dental health. Remember to follow winter dental care tips to protect your oral health and, if required, visit your dentist.

1. Tooth Sensitivity & Pain:
It is common to experience acute pain when eating or drinking hot or cold foods, but tooth sensitivity and pain in winter occur due to different reasons.
As you move from warm indoor air to chilly outdoor air, your teeth immediately contract. This puts additional pressure on tooth nerves and even pulls teeth away slightly from the underlying bone. In extreme cases, this temporary discomfort can lead to cause tooth loss or fracture.
To avoid this, our Brampton dentistry experts recommend booking an appointment with your dentist to analyze your teeth and take the necessary treatment.
2. Dry Mouth
Dry mouth is not a serious issue but can lead to other dental issues such as tooth decay, halitosis, and gingivitis if neglected. When your mouth becomes dry, it impacts your ability to fight bacterial infection due to a lack of saliva production. Saliva helps to wash away food debris and bacteria remaining inside the mouth and keep plaque under control.
3. Jaw Pain
Temporomandibular joint disorders are more common in adult women. (These joints are the ones that connect the lower jaw to the skull.) These disorders are not directly caused by cold weather, but, like arthritis and other joint ailments, they can worsen during cold weather. In extreme cases, jaw discomfort can spread into neck, head, and toothaches and cause difficulty talking, chewing, or breathing.
4. Cold Sores
These tiny blisters occurring on the mouth and lips are caused by a virus. They are triggered by common winter ailments such as fevers and colds, as well as cold weather itself.
5. Canker Sores:
Canker sores worsen in winter because of dry air that makes soft mouth tissues more susceptible to injury and infection. As mentioned, saliva is needed to prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause infections, and dry air leads to reduced amounts of saliva. Moreover, winter affects the immune system and leaves people more vulnerable to ailments.

If you are suffering from a cold or canker sore, jaw pain, or any other winter-related oral health issue, don't hesitate to visit your dentist. These issues may not appear to be serious initially, but ignoring them can affect both your dental and general health. So, the sooner you get rid of these dental problems, the healthier you will become this winter.

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