Treatment Options for Tooth Decay

More than 91% of people have had tooth decay—or cavities—during their life. It’s a safe bet that you will experience a cavity or two as well. It’s best to always go to your biannual dental exams and cleanings to avoid tooth decay from getting large. With small decay, a dental filling should suffice for restoring your tooth. However, severe decay might take more work to restore your smile. Find out what your options are for getting rid of tooth decay!

Tooth Decay: Do You Have It?

Not everyone knows what tooth decay is besides what the term implies. You know tooth decay by either it’s scientific name, “dental caries”, or by the common name of “cavities”. You have probably had at least one cavity sometime during your life. Studies show that about 92% of people in the United States have had tooth decay, and most have had it in more than one tooth. The National Institutes of Health report that 26% of adults don’t have their cavities treated, and about 5% of adults between 20 and 64 have no teeth due to severe tooth decay. Odds are, you’ve had a cavity before. Prevent that decay from happening or from getting severe so you don’t get tooth loss!

How Did Decay Happen?

If you have ever gone to the dental office, you may be surprised to find that you have a cavity. When you’re brushing and flossing often, you may wonder, “What went wrong? How did I still get a cavity?” It could be your eating habits or maybe you’re simply not brushing or flossing for the right amount of time or with the right technique. Your teeth decay based off of what you are eating and drinking, plus how good your oral hygiene is.

When you eat and drink, bacteria in your mouth starts the digestion process by breaking down your food. Some of that bacteria, however, mixes with sugar and creates a sticky, acidic substance. That substance is plaque, and it sticks to your teeth, especially along the gum line. Because plaque is acidic, it slowly works to erode your hard tooth enamel. With enough time, your enamel weakens and gets holes in it. Then, plaque gets the chance to get inside your tooth, decaying it as it goes. With severe tooth decay, enough of your tooth has weakened and decayed that you’ve started to get an infection where your internal tooth nerves are. That is why some patients get toothaches with severe tooth decay.

How We Can Fix Decay

For many patients, fixing a cavity is quite straightforward. Tooth-colored fillings are one of the most popular ways to treat a cavity and restore a tooth’s prior strength following a cavity. In the past, these were the silver metal things that people had in their teeth after visiting the dentist. In modern times, however, dental fillings are made of white composite fillings, so that they blend in with the teeth. These fillings are made of a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture that is placed into the cavity, layer by layer. However, the dentist will remove all of the tooth infection and the parts of the tooth that have tooth decay.

When each filling layer is placed, it is cured (hardened) by a specific UV light before the next layer is placed. Eventually, the dentist will shape the layers to look like your natural tooth. We also polish the composite, so that it looks shiny and so staining is less likely. Tooth-colored fillings are long-lasting options for patients to keep the natural look of their teeth if they have had tooth decay. Plus, these procedures don’t take too much of a person’s time. The key, however, is to keep up on dental cleanings and checkups so that the dentist can find tooth decay when it is very small. If tooth decay is severe, you may need a root canal or other procedure.

What If Tooth Decay Is Severe?

Many people don’t see the dentist as often as they should. Studies show that only about 65% of people in the United States visit the dentist each year, and not all of those visit the recommended 2 times. It’s no coincidence that about 32% of Americans are also facing tooth decay and gum disease problems. That’s almost the amount of people that skip going to their check-ups and dental cleanings. This can lead small cavities to become large over time. A patient will know something is wrong when they start to have tooth pain, dental injuries, or if they tooth simply breaks.

When decay is severe, we will opt to do a root canal first to try to save a person’s tooth. Severe decay can lead to tooth loss, but if the tooth decay can be removed safely, we will try that first. We do a root canal before we opt to take out a tooth. This “root canal” refers to the passages within a tooth that has all the nerves and blood vessels. When tooth decay progresses, a patient will have decay and infection throughout all these internal passages.

A root canal procedure essentially opens up the tooth and removes everything within it. That includes nerves and decay. A dentist will use small brush tools to get down into the tooth canals with ease. Once cleaned, the tooth is filled with composite material that keeps the structure of the natural tooth.

Practice Great Oral Hygiene

The best way to prevent tooth decay from happening or progressing is to brush and floss your teeth. The American Dental Association recommends brushing at least twice a day, for 2 minutes each time you brush. Make sure to use toothpaste and get all tooth surfaces, brushing in many directions. The ADA also recommends seeing a dentist at least twice a year (or every 6 months for dental check-ups). This is when a dentist can detect tooth decay. If you are due for a dental exam, call Stonebrook Family Dental today at (303) 872-7907!