Cavities are one of the most common dental problems you can form in your teeth. These early forms of tooth decay develop when natural oral bacteria find weak spots in your enamel and begin to eat away at your dental structure. Cavities refer to the resulting holes created in your tooth.
A dentist can treat cavities with a dental filling, but you should seek prompt dental attention before the decay progresses. Otherwise, you may need more extensive dental work to restore your oral health.
You can better understand when to seek this dental treatment when you know how to tell if you have a cavity. Read on to discover details about symptoms that could point to a cavity in your tooth.
Tooth Pain
Oral pain of any kind is abnormal and deserves an urgent evaluation from your dentist. But a toothache could be a sign that you have a cavity. You might notice that tooth pain worsens when you bite and chew if you sustain this type of dental damage.
You may also experience tooth sensitivity as a result of a cavity. This pain happens when the enamel sustains significant damage so that the nerves inside the tooth become exposed. Then the stimulation triggers the nerves to send pain signals to the brain.
Although the pain might fade with the removal of the stimulus, you should not ignore it. Your symptoms can worsen if you do not treat the underlying problem.
Visible Changes in the Tooth
Cavities often come with visible symptoms in the tooth. You might be able to see the hole in the tooth’s surface where decay has hurt the enamel. And you could notice brown, black, or white discoloration on the tooth.
Though cosmetic dental issues can occur for less dangerous reasons, including consuming foods or drinks with staining agents, you should still ask your dentist about these symptoms. Untreated tooth decay may leave you with irreversible dental damage. But treating a cavity will resolve these aesthetic concerns in your smile as well as prevent this extensive damage.
Diagnosis from a Dentist
In many cases, cavities can develop without recognizable symptoms. Most cases of tooth decay are diagnosed by a dentist during a routine check-up. The dentist might spot the cavity on the tooth during a visual exam, or they can see it on a dental x-ray.
Because cavities might go unnoticed by a patient, these routine dental appointments prove crucial in identifying and treating cavities in a timely fashion. Make sure you attend these check-ups as your dentist directs, usually every six months, in order to receive appropriate preventative dental care. Routine dental X-rays will also maximize your dentist’s ability to find cavities that may form in tricky locations on the teeth.
The dentist can spot cavities during these visits as well as clean your teeth to reduce your risk of forming decay. They can offer further advice to fight cavities at home as well. Schedule your next dentist appointment in Greenville, TX by calling 903.270.5279 today.