Fix Cavities
When you go to your dental appointment, the dentist can detect cavities and tooth decay by:
- Asking about any pain or sensitivity in your teeth
- Looking at your teeth and gums thoroughly
- Using dental instruments to find soft spots on teeth
- Taking and reviewing x-rays to show decay and the extent of the decay on your teeth
If you do have a cavity, the dentist will determine if you have a smooth surface, pit and fissure or root cavity.
Treatment
It is important to maintain twice yearly checkups with the dentist to both find and treat cavities and other serious dental problems. Those issues can cause you serious problems and lead to more complicated and more expensive procedures if they are not treated in their early stages. In the cases of early tooth decay and gum disease, the problems can be stopped and even reversed. The dentist will be able to find cavities before they cause you pain and prevent you from experiencing a more serious procedure. There is not one treatment for cavities and the dentist will adjust your treatment based on your needs.
Treatment options include:
- Fluoride Treatments: When cavities are in the early stages, a fluoride treatment can replace missing minerals in your tooth’s enamel layer to strengthen the enamel and prevent the bacteria from damaging deeper layers in your tooth. A fluoride treatment at the dentist is stronger than the fluoride that is found in tap water, most toothpastes and even over the counter mouth rinses. The treatment from the dentist may be a liquid rinse, a gel, foam or even a polish that is applied to the surface of your teeth or via a tray.
- Fillings: Dentists may refer to fillings as restorations but these are the best option for decay that has progressed beyond the enamel layer. The dentist can use dental amalgams, porcelains, or even tooth colored composite resins to fill in the cavity depending on the location of cavity.
- Crowns: If the cavity has progressed to a larger area than can be treated with a filling or if the decay has weakened the tooth overall, then the dentist will use a crown to address the decay. A crown is a custom fitting covering that sits on top of the entire tooth and it can be composed of gold, porcelain, resin, porcelain on top metal or other combinations of materials.
- Root canals: If the decay has made its way to the inner layer of your tooth called the pulp, the dentist will need to use root canal therapy to repair and save your tooth. The dentist will replace the pulp with a filling after the diseased part is removed.
- Tooth extractions: In the most severe cases of tooth decay, the dentist will have to remove the tooth. Usually, dentists will do everything they can to avoid tooth extraction, but if the tooth can’t be restored then this is the last option. After the tooth is removed, then you and the dentist will need to determine the best option for tooth replacement.