Dental Cavities: Causes and Treatment Options
Dental cavity is a bacterial infection causing destruction of teeth. Bacterial fermentation occurs and acid is produced in your mouth and leads to breaking down of hard tissues producing cavities. These cavities are the holes in the enamel that causes toothache and may even lead to tooth loss. There are different types of cavities such as smooth surface appearing on the teeth sides, pit appearing on the top of teeth and root appearing below the gumline.
You may have a dental cavity and you may not know about it until the infection spreads and further damages your teeth. The symptoms of this infection are sensitivity to heat and cold, toothache, pain while biting, black spots or visible holes on your teeth. You need to find it at the initial stage to help in preventing the spread of the infection. It is therefore, important to see a dentist regularly to maintain perfect oral hygiene.
Causes and Affect
Tooth decay is the main cause of dental cavities. The enamel of your teeth gets damaged over time as food particles and acid form a sticky film known as plaque. The acid eats away the enamel first and then targets the dentin which is a soft layer on your teeth. If you keep on neglecting dental cavities, it affects the pulp inside your teeth. The pulp is the nerve center of your teeth holding blood vessels and nerves. Decay damages these nerves and cause irritation, pain and swelling.
Treatment Options
Dental cavity treatment mostly depends on how severe is the tooth decay. Modern dentistry has come a long way and offers various treatment options. A Surrey dentist treats the infections with fillings, root canal, extractions etc. Fillings are performed to repair the holes in your teeth. The filling material is often made up of porcelain or metal. Expert dentists remove the decayed portion and fills with quality filling material.
Root Canals and Extractions are other treatment options. If the decay reaches to the roots and damages the pulp, toot canal might be necessary. In this treatment procedure, the infected pulp is removed and is filled with a filling material. With the modern equipment and precise tools, root canal has become a pain-free procedure.
When a tooth gets damaged to an extent that it cannot be repaired anymore, extractions are performed. Experienced and qualified dentists remove the damaged tooth surgically and replace with a false one.
You may have a dental cavity and you may not know about it until the infection spreads and further damages your teeth. The symptoms of this infection are sensitivity to heat and cold, toothache, pain while biting, black spots or visible holes on your teeth. You need to find it at the initial stage to help in preventing the spread of the infection. It is therefore, important to see a dentist regularly to maintain perfect oral hygiene.
Causes and Affect
Tooth decay is the main cause of dental cavities. The enamel of your teeth gets damaged over time as food particles and acid form a sticky film known as plaque. The acid eats away the enamel first and then targets the dentin which is a soft layer on your teeth. If you keep on neglecting dental cavities, it affects the pulp inside your teeth. The pulp is the nerve center of your teeth holding blood vessels and nerves. Decay damages these nerves and cause irritation, pain and swelling.
Treatment Options
Dental cavity treatment mostly depends on how severe is the tooth decay. Modern dentistry has come a long way and offers various treatment options. A Surrey dentist treats the infections with fillings, root canal, extractions etc. Fillings are performed to repair the holes in your teeth. The filling material is often made up of porcelain or metal. Expert dentists remove the decayed portion and fills with quality filling material.
Root Canals and Extractions are other treatment options. If the decay reaches to the roots and damages the pulp, toot canal might be necessary. In this treatment procedure, the infected pulp is removed and is filled with a filling material. With the modern equipment and precise tools, root canal has become a pain-free procedure.
When a tooth gets damaged to an extent that it cannot be repaired anymore, extractions are performed. Experienced and qualified dentists remove the damaged tooth surgically and replace with a false one.
