Cavities: All about dental cavities and ways to prevent tooth decay

A cavity or dental cavities are the results of the tooth decay. When food particles like bread, sweets, or anything form a coating over the teeth after consumption and is not cleaned sooner or later, the food particles start getting stuck to the outer layer of the teeth and are acidified by the microbes present in your mouth. The acids start dissolving the plaque and in turn, dissolve the outer layer of the teeth called as enamel thus creating holes or cavities. Read on to know more about dental cavities and how to prevent them and take better dental care.

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Facts on Dental cavities

• Cavities lead to tooth decay, pain, discomfort and lastly tooth loss. 
• You may observe cavity symptoms only when the cavity has reached a later stage when the tooth decay has reached a higher level.
• A cavity or tooth decay symptoms include spontaneous pain, sensitivity, sharp pain while consuming hot, cold, or sweet food items, visible holes on your teeth etc.
• The oral bacteria decay the outer layer of the teeth but can definitely harm further deep inside the root of the teeth if the cavities are left untreated. The cavities can start from enamel, dentin, pulp, and reach the roots of the teeth. 
• When to know that you have reached an advanced stage of a dental cavity? When the tooth pulp is affected, you will experience sensitivity, pain while biting and toothache in the cavity affected the tooth. This may affect the bone supporting to the tooth as well.
• At times, the oral bacteria reach the bloodstream which may cause the release of white blood cells, that is sent out by our body to fight with this bacteria, which then may result in abscess formation. At such conditions, the root canal is considered to be the last resort and is usually painful. 

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Prevention and care for dental cavity

• The basic prevention and dental care include brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and most importantly rinsing your mouth each time you have a meal. Avoiding plaque should be your key goal.
• Consuming less sweetened drinks and consuming healthy food which doesn't give much chance to the oral bacteria to decay them, 
• If the cavity is removable, the dentist will drill the decayed part of the tooth and use a tooth filling made up of silver alloy, composite resin,  gold, or porcelain. 
• Sometimes a dental crown is placed to retain the shape of the tooth when tooth filling is not an option. 
• Root Canal is the treatment option preferred when the root of the tooth is damaged but is repairable. The dentist would remove the damaged nerve and blood vessels from the decayed portions of the tooth and seal it with a sealing material. 

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Disclaimer: The content provided above is for information purpose. This is no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.