Cavities are holes or tiny openings that develop from permanently damaged areas on your tooth’s hard surface. These are also known as caries or tooth decay.
Tooth decay is a major cause of cavities. It develops from:
Table of Contents
Plaque formation and attacks
Plaque is a coating on your teeth made of a sticky film. You will get dental plaques if you refrain from cleaning your teeth thoroughly after eating lots of starches or sugars.
An accumulation of sugar and starch on your teeth results in bacterial-feeding and, ultimately, plaque formation.
Plaque contains acids responsible for the erosion of minerals from your tooth’s hard, outer enamel. Tiny openings then form as a result of this erosion.
Continuous destruction
If decay in your teeth doesn’t get mitigated, the bacteria and acid will continue causing damage as they proceed into the inner material or pulp in your teeth. The bacteria will irritate and cause the pulp in your tooth to swell. And, because the pulp contains blood vessels and nerves, this will lead to unbearable pain.
Diagnosis
- Your dentist can check you for tooth decay by:
- Asking you about the sensitivity or pain in a tooth
- Professionally examining your teeth and mouth
- Checking for soft areas using dental equipment to probe your teeth
- Determining the extent of tooth decay by consulting the results from X-rays.
Your oral healthcare provider will be able to discern if you have a pit, smooth surface, or root cavity after conducting a diagnosis.
Booking and Preparing for an Appointment
You should book an appointment with a dentist as soon as you detect pain or tooth sensitivity. You can prepare for the dentist appointment beforehand by making a list of all medications you are taking, those that cause you to have allergy flare-ups, and all the clarifications you may need from your dentist.
It is vital you seek clarifications if some questions are bugging you.
Here are some of the clarifications you may need to seek from your dentist:
• Whether you are suffering from tooth decay
• Whether you need a root canal or a crown
• If your water supplier is using extra fluoride
• What you can take for the pain and when it ought to go away
• After how many visits are necessary to complete treatment
Your dentist may, in turn, need to know:
- Your brushing and flossing routine
- If you feel pain from eating sweet or extremely hot/cold food
- If the pain gets worse when you bite down
- If there is fluoride in the toothpaste you use
- The medications you may be taking
Treatment
You should plan regular checkups with your dentist if you want root decay to be detected and stopped from becoming worse earlier. Your dentists will only need to administer extensive treatment if the cavity has progressed and is causing pain. The treatment options for tooth cavity include:
Fillings
These are also known as restorations. Such materials as porcelain, composite resins that are tooth-colored, or dental amalgam get used in making them.
Crowns
Your dentist will suggest a crown if you have extensive tooth decay or if your teeth are too weakened. That crown is a covering that is custom-fitted to replace your tooth’s crown in its entirety.
Crowns get made from either resin, high-strength porcelain, gold, or other suitable materials.
Fluoride treatments
Your tooth’s enamel can get restored using a fluoride treatment. However, this is only possible in the early stages of decay.
Tooth extractions
If your tooth has decayed so severely that restoration is impossible, you will need an extraction. The gap left behind after extraction may allow your other teeth to shift. You can remedy this using a dental implant or a bridge.
Root canals
A root canal may be necessary if decay has reached your tooth’s pulp. That is a measure taken to repair a severe cavity instead of extracting it. The pulp gets removed, and a filling gets inserted in its stead.
Prevention
You can prevent root decay by:
• Brushing your teeth not less than twice daily. Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride.
• Floss daily
• Use mouthwash containing fluoride to rinse daily
• Eat balanced meals packed with nutrition
• Seek clarification of dental sealants from your doctor
• Drink water with fluoride
• Get examined and professionally cleaned by your dentist regularly
You can contact our Smile Angels of Beverly Hills offices and make an appointment to get your cavities checked. We provide 24/7 emergency dentistry services.