Types of Damage That Can Happen to Your Tongue if You Ignore a Broken Tooth Posted on 7/20/2019 by Sundberg Office When you break a tooth, it is not a pleasant experience. It can cause pain for one thing. It can also make your tooth sensitive to hot and cold. Some people have naturally sensitive teeth and use special toothpaste to help with the sensitivity, but if have a broken tooth that will not work. A broken tooth can also make eating difficult. Depending on where and how bad the break is, you may get food trapped in places that even flossing will have trouble with. Another problem you will likely experience is problems with your tongue. How does your tongue get involved in this you wonder? Well, here's how.
Tongue Involvement with Broken Teeth
You may not notice or even realize that you are doing it, but your tongue has a way of exploring your teeth. During the day you may find yourself running your tongue along your teeth. This is normal. The only time you encounter a problem is if you have a broken or chipped tooth or lose a filling. When this happens, and your tongue starts exploring, it will run into the broken tooth. When it does, the jagged edges where the tooth is broken can damage your tongue. It may not even be painful or noticeable to you, but it could cause a small scratch on your tongue. If you get a small scratch on your tongue it leaves an opening for the bacteria in your mouth to get in. Since your mouth is dark and moist, it is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. If that happens you could end up with an infection in your tongue. You may notice it getting red or it may swell in the area where the bacteria have made an entry. You could also end up scraping the little nodules called papillae that reside on the top of your tongue. Though these conditions can be treated, if you have a broken tooth get in to see us as soon as you can. That way you can avoid the development of more serious and more costly problems.
