Tooth decay, commonly known as cavities, is caused by small holes on the outer surface. They typically appear due to various factors causing permanent damage to the teeth. If left untreated, it can spread, exhibiting multiple signs of tooth decay, including pain, bad breath, and sensitivity.
Hence, visiting a dentist when you see tooth decay signs is recommended to get the required treatment. Addressing tooth decay signs will help you restore the functionality of your teeth. This article outlines everything about tooth decay signs, symptoms, causes, and prevention.
Tooth decay signs and symptoms
Tooth decay is easier to detect as it exhibits various warning signs. However, the extent of the symptoms will depend on the severity of the cavity. While you may not feel anything unusual at the beginning, it will show the following signs as the decay gets severe:
- Toothache.
- Tooth sensitivity and pain while consuming anything hot, sweet, or cold.
- A constant bad breath and bad taste inside your mouth.
- Visible holes in the outer layer of the teeth.
- Bleeding gums lead to other gum diseases.
- Facial swelling
- Visible gray and brown spots on the surface of your teeth.
- Pain while biting down on food.
Risk Factor
Quite a few risk factors mentioned below also contribute to tooth decay signs, leading to cavities:
- Tooth location: Most of the decay arises at the back, across your molars and premolars, as they have grooves where food residue gets easily stuck. It quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. They are also harder to clean, making them an easy location to develop cavities.
- Certain foods and drinks: A few selective food items stick to your teeth for a prolonged time. Honey, soda, and other sugar-based items accumulate on your teeth, inviting more bacteria.
- Frequent snacking or sipping: Frequent food consumption is a hazardous habit that leads to tooth decay. With increasing snack consumption, bacteria create more acids inside your mouth.
- Inadequate brushing: lack of oral hygiene, including inadequate brushing, allows for more plaque to deposit around your gums. They must be properly cleaned on a regular basis to avoid witnessing signs of tooth decay.
- Dry mouth: Oral conditions such as dry mouth are a major risk factor for cavities. It causes the saliva to dry out, which prevents the flushing of food materials and plague. Dry mouth mostly arises as an adverse effect of medication and drugs.
- Eating Disorder: Those suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are at high risk of getting cavities as the patient with the condition tends to vomit frequently. As a result, your teeth get frequent exposure to stomach acids, which can erode the outer layer.
Tooth decay causes
Cavities are caused by multiple factors, which are as follows:
- When the bacteria deposit inside your mouth, they eat sugary or starchy foods, converting them into acids that cause decay.
- Dental plaque, which coats your teeth and exposes them to various foods, acids, and bacteria.
- Lack of proper dental hygiene. It is important to brush your teeth, or else any form of deposit can cause damage to your teeth, breaking down their outer layer.
Types of cavities
Before you seek professional help, it is important to have a basic idea of the various types of cavities, listed below:
- Smooth surface: It slowly dissolves the enamel, which can be prevented by maintaining your oral hygiene.
- Pit and fissure decay is a fast-progressing tooth decay that appears at the outer surface of a tooth and spreads across the front and back sides of the chewing surface.
- Root decay: The decay appears due to receding gums, exposing the tooth root to plaque deposits or acids.
Prevention of tooth decay
The easiest method to prevent cavities is none other than oral hygiene. You can follow the next steps to learn how to take proper care of your precious teeth.
- Use fluoride-based toothpaste to brush your teeth. Especially after your meals, it is important to get rid of the food deposit by brushing your teeth religiously.
- Follow up with proper rinsing to prevent tooth erosion. Dentists usually recommend using fluoride mouthwash to properly rinse your mouth.
- Regular dentist visits are the key to keeping your teeth protected. An oral examination by professionals will help detect cavities and other dental problems.
- Avoid frequent consumption of food and drinks to reduce the production of acids by the bacteria residing in your mouth.
Visit Creative Dental Clinic today to consult our expert crew of medical professionals, if you are suffering from any of the tooth decay signs specified above. We provide advanced dental technology and a soothing experience to fulfill a patient’s dental needs.