Despite the many efforts that have been made by dental health care professionals to improve the general population’s dental health, many people are still losing their teeth to conditions that are preventable. One of the main causes of tooth loss is cavities. If you want to avoid losing your teeth, you need to learn about cavities. Here is what experts in Dentistry in Kailua have to say about cavities.
What causes cavities?
Cavities do not form overnight. They are the result of continuous poor dental health practices combined with bad eating habits. When a person eats foods that are starchy or full of sugar, they form some kind of coating on the teeth. This coating could be acted o by the bacteria that lives in the mouth to form an acid. This acid is what eats away at the tooth from the enamel downwards to the dentin and the pulp cavity.
Symptoms of cavities
The signs of having cavities mainly depend on the extent to which they have damaged the teeth. For instance:
1. You will only feel a few sensitivities in the teeth when the erosion has only affected the enamel.
2. You will feel pain when taking hot or cold drinks when the cavities have reached the dentin.
3. Tooth ache is a characteristic of cavities that have reached the pulp cavity. This is because the opening up of the cavity leads to the bacteria infecting the tissue in the cavity and causing abscesses that result in the pain.
The treatment options
Treatment will also depend on the extent of the cavities. For instance, if the cavities are only starting to affect the enamel, the dentist will recommend dental fillers and strengthening toothpaste. On the other hand, if the cavities have affected the dentin and the pulp cavity, the dentist will recommend a root canal procedure. This involves the removal of the dead tissue in the pulp cavity that causes infection and toothache. Tooth extraction may be recommended if the decay has affected the root because at this point a root canal procedure will not work.
This is an insight on how experts in Dentistry in Kailua deal with cavities. They provide many other types of Dental Care Services in Kailua.
