Are you having some dental issues and wondering if it’s a cavity? You need not worry. This article clearly elucidates the symptoms that actually let you know of a cavity. The important ones are discussed below:
Table Of Content:
Holes visible on your tooth’s surface:
A tooth decay affects affect both the outer coating of a tooth (called enamel) and the inner layer (called dentin). Therefore, they may be visible or may not be. You only need to be extra conscious in case you feel any kind of discomfort or unusualness in your mouth.
So what causes these holes? When left-over food particles stay back in your mouth, bacteria starts feeding on them. This turns them into acids. The acids dissolve the enamel, creating holes called ‘cavities’. Thus, once you notice holes on your teeth do not delay in rushing to the dentist as soon as possible.
Pain and sensitivity in your teeth:
Like many other oral issues pain is one of the main indicators of tooth cavities. It will obviously be associated with considerable amounts of tooth sensitivity. You will experience a mild to sharp pain while having hot or cold foods, sweets, sour tasted items etc. biting down on hard objects will be a real trouble. In fact the entire episode of having food or beverages becomes intimidating!
Spots on the tooth surface:
Sometimes black or brown spots are noticed on the surface of your tooth. The tooth may even turn brownish or lose its natural shade partly. These spots also hint at a dental cavity.
The above discussed symptoms are more or less enough to tell that you or your child is having a tooth cavity. The very next concern that follows is ‘What Next’? It goes without that your cavity treatment depends upon the extent of damage caused. Accordingly, the different treatment alternatives that are availed are:
- Fluoride gel application – A fluoride varnish or paste to the affected area is a good remedy. Fluoride helps protect your teeth by strengthening the enamel, making teeth more resistant to the acids produced by bacterial attacks on your teeth. Thus tooth decay and cavities are prevented.
- Some preventive treatments such as a dental filling may be advised by your dentist. This would involve removing the dental decay, applying some local anesthetic to numb the tooth, and filling the hole. Alternatively, a crown can be opted for. This would protect the damaged tooth and keep it from further contact with eatables that cause irritation.
- In case the tooth decay has spread to the pulp a root canal treatment needs to be done. When further neglected, things may pave the way for an extraction.
Do you want to find out what can be done on your part so that cavities can be avoided? There are certainly a few preventive measures that may be taken to stay away from cavities in the future. You can apply these in the case of your children too in order to protect them from cavities!
- Dental Sealants could be considered – A sealant is a protective plastic coating applied on the chewing surface of mainly the back teeth. It basically seals the grooves and corners that tend to collect food particles. Thus your enamel is protected from plaque and acid. Sealants are recommended for all school-age children. They generally last for several years after which they might require to be replaced.
- Drink tap water sometimes – Public water supplies have added fluoride, which protects your enamel and helps reduce tooth cavities significantly. If you continuously drink bottled water only, you’ll miss out on fluoride benefits.
- Frequent snacking and sipping should be avoided – Whenever you take food or beverages and neglect washing your mouth after that, your mouth bacteria get a chance to create acids. Consequently, enamel damage occurs that may lead to cavities. So avoiding intermediate snacking should be practiced.
Why wait for the symptoms when the consequences are known? You must rather start practicing the preventive measures today and make your child do the same too in order to avoid future cavities!
So, why do you wait? Start practicing today. Before, starting the practice, If you need to consult with a dental care team, contact our Pharr dental clinic.
