The Battle Against Cavities Is On!

Tooth decay is the predecessor of tooth cavities.

Normally, this affects both the outer coating of the tooth or the enamel and the inner layer, the dentin. Once both layers are affected, expect that your tooth structure is already imperiled. This situation calls for either you wait until you see your tooth leaves you painfully or call a dentist for reinforcements.

So, let's find out more about tooth decay.

Most of the time, tooth decay starts with what we usually put in our mouth, food. Foods that contain carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, milk, soda, fruits, or candy left on the teeth trigger tooth decay. The bacteria that reside in the mouth digest the food we eat and turn them into acids. The combination of acid, food fragments and saliva form plaque that sticks to the teeth. The acid component in the plaque breaks up the enamel of the teeth and creates holes starting from the surface then progressively deeper into the tooth structure. The result: cavities.

Tooth Decay Among Adults

Tooth decay is also a trending condition among adults, particularly those who are crossing over 40. Recession of the gums often associated with an increase incidence of gingivitis can expose the roots to plaque. Pregnant women’s sugary food cravings makes them vulnerable to developing cavities. Another common tooth decay condition among older adults is the decay around the edges of cavity fillings as many of them lacked the benefits of flouride and advanced preventive dental care when they were growing up and most of the time have several dental fillings. However, these fillings may weaken over the years and may crack and break up. This unwanted situation invites bacteria to accumulate in the tiny crevices and cause tooth decay.

So how would you know if your teeth have cavities?

During dental check-ups, your dentist can determine if your teeth are starting to develop cavities. The surface of your tooth feels soft when examined by your dentist. In addition, x-rays can also show you cavities before they become visible to the eye.

Signs of advance stages of tooth decay are tooth sensitivity after consuming sweets, hot or cold foods or drinks as well as visible holes in the teeth.

Lastly, how do you treat tooth cavities?

Dentists have different treatments for cavities under their sleeves but the treatments would always depend on the extent of tooth decay. If the decay is not far-reaching, the decayed part of the tooth can be removed by drilling and can be replaced by a filling made by silver alloy, gold, porcelain or composite resin. As for extensive tooth decay but with remaining limited tooth structure, crowns are used. The decayed or weakened portion is removed and repaired, then the crown is fitted over the remainder of the tooth. These crowns are made up of gold, porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal.

So with the battle against cavities, the old adage hold true, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”. And it will always be.

For more dental tips and proper oral care, visit our team of Fort Lauderdale dentists at sleepdentists.com for more information.