What is a Cavity and What Causes Tooth Decay?

What Exactly Is a Cavity? That’s the word no one wants to hear at the dentist’s office. Cavities are what you get from tooth decay — damage to the tooth. Tooth decay can affect both the outer coating of a tooth (called enamel) and the inner layer (called dentin). A cavity develops when a tooth decays, or breaks down. A cavity is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time.

Today we’d like to talk about tooth decay. Tooth decay is the most prevalent disease for children and adults in the United States, even though it is mostly preventable.

What causes decay? When foods with carbohydrates like bread, cereal, milk, soda, fruit, cake, or candy stay on your teeth. The bacteria in your mouth turn them into acids. The bacteria, acid, food debris, and your saliva combine to form plaque, which clings to the teeth. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel, creating holes called cavities.

If you don’t go to the dentist, the acids can continue to make their way through the enamel, and the inside parts of your tooth can begin to decay. If you’ve ever had a toothache or heard an adult complain about one, it may have been because there was a cavity that reached all the way inside a tooth, where the nerve endings are.

Tooth abscesses. A tooth abscess is a complication of tooth decay. Bacteria get into the pulp of the tooth through the cavity and cause infection. Pus then collects in the center of the tooth, causing an abscess.

How Are They Treated? Treatment depends on how bad the cavity is. Treatments for cavities include fillings, crowns and root canals. Most often, the dentist removes the decayed portion of your tooth with a drill. The dentist then fills the hole in your tooth with a special material. The result is called a filling. A well-placed filling can feel, function, and look very nice.

Prevention: Just as there are two factors that cause cavities, there are two main factors to preventing them: oral hygiene and diet change. Tooth decay may be prevented by modifying diet, hygiene, and remineralization. Being careful with your diet can make a big difference in limiting tooth decay. Frequency of exposures to sugar and carbohydrates is the most common cause of tooth decay. It isn’t bad to have a snack or a treat, but the amount of exposures should be limited.

Regular dental checkups can help prevent decay, or detect decay at early easily treatable stages. If you’re due for a dental examination, or desire more information on preventing tooth decay, please give Cary Dental Rejuvenation a call 919-460-5454.

http://www.carydentalrejuvenation.com