The best treatment option for tooth decay is to detect it early or prevent it by following the suggestions given by the dentist in Pinellas Park. Tooth decay causes cavities and holes in your teeth that begin humbly to gradually expand when left untreated.
Cavities don’t cause pain in the initial stages, making it challenging to realize you have a problem with your tooth. Every six months, preventive dentistry in Pinellas Park helps detect tooth decay in the earliest stages. Tooth decay is a global problem affecting many, including babies developing cavities from baby bottle tooth decay.
Realizing that you have a cavity in your tooth might surprise you, especially if you think you practice good oral hygiene. However, when your dentist detects them during appointments for exams and cleanings, there is no reason for you to express surprise because treatments are available for the holes in your teeth and prevent your mouth bacteria from creating new ones.
Indicators of Dental Pollution
The signs of tooth decay depend on the severity of the infection affecting your tooth. For example, you might experience tooth sensitivity and pain or notice visible holes in them besides white or black staining.
The Reasons for Cavities
Dental plaque, a sticky film containing bacteria binding to your teeth, is primarily responsible for cavities. Your mouth bacteria combines food particles, acids, saliva, and microorganisms.
Mouth bacteria are present in everyone’s mouths. After you have sugary foods or drinks, the mouth bacteria convert the sugar into acids. As a result, the formation of dental plaque occurs soon after eating anything sugary. Our dentist in Pinellas Park suggest brushing and flossing as essential preventive methods to remove plaque on and between your teeth.
Dental plaque binding to your teeth with the acids in them gradually causes tooth enamel erosion. Tooth enamel is the hard exterior of your tooth that helps protect against tooth decay. Weakening of the tooth enamel increases the risk of decay. The risk of holes developing on the teeth is present in everyone. Unfortunately, some are at a higher risk of cavities.
Risk factors that make you vulnerable to developing holes in teeth include:
- Excessive sugary or acidic foods and beverages.
- Poor dental hygiene.
- Insufficient fluoride.
- Dry mouth.
- Acid reflux disease.
Cavities primarily develop on the molars with grooves and fissures that help trap food particles. Your molars are also challenging to clean by brushing and flossing.
Options for Treating Cavities
Discuss with your dentist the symptoms of cavities described above if you experience them as soon as possible. Dentists detect tooth decay after conducting a dental exam. However, cavities sometimes develop between the teeth, making them invisible to the naked eye. In such cases, dentists use dental x-rays when looking for decay.
The treatment options for cavities depend on the severity of your situation.
- Preventive Care Treatments:if your dentist detects early decay, they might even consider reversing the condition by providing fluoride treatments or dental sealants as a method of preventing the problem from expanding.
- Dental Fillings:fillings are placed in the tooth by drilling it and removing the decayed material. Dentists fill cavities using fillers like silver, gold, and composite resin.
- Dental Crowns: if you have severe decay that is challenging to repair with fillings, dentists suggest customized tooth caps called dental crowns for placement over your tooth after removing the decayed tooth structure.
- Root Canals: If tooth decay causes the nerves to become necrotic, your dentist recommends a root canal to preserve your tooth. Dentists remove the blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves along with the dental pulp and other decayed tooth parts. Next, you receive antibiotics and medicines to the roots as required. Finally, the dentist places a temporary filling over the tooth and suggests that you have it restored with a dental crown after you recover.
As can be seen, treating tooth decay is not a challenge because there are many options your dentist recommends. However, they emphasize preventive dental care to ensure you never develop cavities on your teeth or between them.
Preventive dental care shouldn’t scare you because it requires no additional investment rather than regular brushing and flossing, six-monthly visits to your dentist for dental prophylaxis, and having a diet of healthy foods by avoiding the sugary and starchy variety and using mouthwash to eliminate your mouth bacteria responsible for tooth decay.
Confident Smile Dentistry recommends you follow preventive dental care practices to help avoid infections like tooth decay that leaves you with severe consequences, including tooth loss. If you have symptoms of cavities as described in this article, please do not hesitate to contact this practice to fix your tooth or prepare yourself to replace it.
