6 Ways to know if you have a Cavity

18th_Blog Post

What is a cavity? When foods with carbohydrates, like bread, cereal, milk, soda, fruit, cake, or candy stay on your teeth, the bacteria in your mouth turn them into acids. The bacteria, acid, food debris, and your saliva combine to form plaque, which clings to the teeth. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel, creating holes called cavities. A cavity starts out as asymptomatic. As the decay advances, the cavity gets bigger. What it does is that it’s getting deeper and closer to the nerve. Once it gets to a certain distance near the nerve, that’s when we start to see symptoms. The question is how do we know if we have a cavity on the tooth?

 

The below six ways will help you identify whether you have a cavity or no:

Lingering cold/hot sensitivity: This is one of the most common types of sensitivity among patients. If the discomfort arising from this sensitivity lasts for more than 5 seconds, then it’s a clear case of cold/hot sensitivity. This is one of the signs indicating that you may have a cavity/tooth decay. In such a case visiting your dentist is highly recommended to avoid further complications.

 

Possible pain while biting/chewing: Throbbing pain that comes and goes away. We hear patients complain that they feel a lot of pain while biting or chewing food. This could mean that the tooth is sensitive to any pressure and one of the reasons could be tooth decay/cavity. We again recommend that you visit your dentist to avoid complications, especially in this matter.

 

Visible Holes or Pits in your teeth: The most common sign for a cavity. What one should be looking for is gaping holes or black gunk like deposit on the tooth.  Food particles getting stuck in such holes could lead to a toothache and discomfort. The tooth enamel could be soft which poses a threat in the form of bacteria eating away the enamel and causing further damage to the infected tooth. This could be a warning sign and visiting your dentist at the earliest is the best option.

 

Bad breath: If brushing your teeth twice a day and using mouthwash doesn’t do any good when it comes to ridding yourself of bad breath, then it could be a sign of tooth decay or a cavity. Although, bad breath could occur due to various reasons, but if it’s accompanied by a foul taste, then it could indicate a cavity/tooth decay.

 

Discoloured or Chipped fillings: Secondary decay can develop around or beneath old restorations and these restorations may need to be repeated over the years. Be vigilant about discolored and fractured/ chipped off restorations and visit your dentist at the earliest to avoid more damage to your tooth.

 

Pus around the tooth: If this situation arises, please do not touch the infected area as it could lead to complications. This is a sign that the tooth is heavily infected and visiting the dentist without any further delay is recommended.

To know more about cavities and tooth decay, read our article, ‘Wonder why you are more prone to cavities?’.

 

The Dental Spa believes that visiting your dentist twice a year i.e. every six months, keeps situations like tooth decay/cavities at bay.

 

Book an appointment today to check your oral health. Call now on 022-64524197 or mail us at info@dentalspa.in