What's a Cavity ? (Dental Health and Cavities)
Cavity. That's the word no one wants to hear at the dentist's office. A cavity (say:ka-vuh-tee) develops when a tooth decays (say: dih-kaze), or breaks down. A cavity is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time. Cavities are also called dental caries (say: kar-eez), and if you have a cavity, it's important to get it repaired.
But why would your tooth develop a hole? Blame plaque. That's a sticky, slimy substance made up mostly of the germs that cause tooth decay. The bacteria in your mouth make acids and when plaque clings to your teeth, the acids can eat away at the outermost layer of the tooth, called the enamel (say: ih-na-mul).
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. Ouch!
Your dentist will carefully examine your teeth and may take X-rays. If your dentist discovers a cavity, he or she can repair it for you by first removing the rotted part of your tooth with a special drill. The dentist then fills the hole in your tooth with a special material. The result is called a filling.
Does it hurt? Sometimes it does, but your dentist can give you ananesthestic. That's a kind of medicine that will numb the area around the problem tooth while you're getting your new filling.
Cavity Prevention Tips
Though cavities can be repaired, try to avoid them by taking care of your teeth. Here's how:
- Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste after every meal or at least twice a day. Bedtime is an important time to brush.
- Brush up and down in a circular motion.
- Gently brush your gums as well to keep them healthy.
- Floss your teeth once a day to remove plaque and food that's stuck between your teeth.
- Limit sweets and sugary drinks, like soda.
- See your dentist twice a year for regular checkups. We hope you'll hear those two wonderful words: "No cavities!"
Who Gets Cavities?
Many people think cavities only affect children, but changes that occur with aging make cavities an adult problem too. Recession of the gums (a pulling away of gum tissue from the teeth), often associated with an increased incidence of gingivitis (gum disease), can expose tooth roots to plaque. Also, sugaryfood cravings in pregnant women can make them more vulnerable to developing cavities.
Decay around the edges of cavity fillings is also common in older adults. Because many older adults lacked the benefits of fluoride and modern preventive dental care when they were growing up, they often have a number of dental fillings. Over the years, these fillings may weaken and can fracture, allowing bacteria to accumulate in the tiny crevices causing tooth decay.
How Do I Know if I Have a Cavity?
Your dentist can discover cavities during your regular dental check-up. The tooth surface feels soft when probed by your dentist with a dental instrument. X-rays can also show cavities before they become visible to the eye.
In advanced stages of tooth decay, you might experience a toothache, especially after consuming sweet, hot, or cold foods or drinks. Other signs of tooth decay are visible pits or holes in the teeth.
What Is the Treatment for Cavities?
There are a number of different treatments for cavities depending on the extent of tooth decay. If decay is not extensive, the decayed portion of the tooth is removed by drilling and replaced with a filling made of silver alloy, gold, porcelain, or a composite resin. Materials used in fillings are considered safe. Concerns have been raised over the safety of mercury-based, silver amalgams in particular, but the American Dental Association (ADA), FDA, and other public health agencies continue to support the safety of this restorative material. Allergies to silver amalgam are rare as are allergies to other restorative materials.
If the tooth decay is extensive and there is limited tooth structure remaining, crownswill be used. If a crown is needed, the decayed or weakened area of the tooth is removed and repaired and a crown is fitted over the remainder of the tooth. Crowns are made from gold, porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal.
If the decay causes the nerve or pulp of the tooth to die, a root canalwill be performed. During a root canal, the center of the tooth (including the nerve, blood vessel, and tissue) is removed along with the decayed portions of the tooth. The roots are then filled with a sealing material. If necessary, a crown can be placed over the filled tooth.
Several new cavity treatments are under development. One experimental technique uses fluorescent light to detect the development of cavities long before they can be detected by traditional means, such as x-rays or a dental exam. In many cases, if cavities can be detected early, the tooth decay process can be stopped or reversed.
Researchers are also working on a "smart filling" to prevent further tooth decay by slowly releasing fluoride over time around fillings and in adjacent teeth.
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