Healthy teeth; healthy life!
What is a cavity? Know before it is too late!
Whenever you see a black spot or a hole usually accompanied by a sharp/dull/ shooting pain, know that it may be a cavity and if you have one, it is time to find a dentist.
A cavity is an irreversible damage to the hard surface of the tooth, resulting in a ‘hole’ followed by tooth pain and infection of the hard & soft tissues of the teeth. If left untreated, it may result in a chipped tooth, sensitive teeth, or even tooth loss!
How to get rid of cavities and save teeth?
Now that we know “what tooth decay is“, let us elaborate on its treatments.
- Concentrated Fluoride Gel Application – 1.23% of Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride (APF) or Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) gels, when applied on the outer tooth surface of initial carious lesions, can arrest or stop the cavity from progressing deeper. The timing can only be right if you have bi-annual dental checkups.
- Tooth Filling – When the cavity is small (not very deep), a permanent restorative dental material is placed (cavity filling) in the tooth to prevent further decay.
- Root Canal Treatment – If the cavity is deep causing moderate to severe pain or infection, a root canal followed by a tooth crown or an indirect ceramic restoration is done.
- Tooth Extraction – If the cavity has destroyed the tooth to a point that there is barely any tooth structure left, rendering it unrestorable, then taking the tooth out is the only option.
What does the cavity look like?
A cavity at the initial stage appears to be whitish or chalky, but if the cavity is deep, it looks like a black or brownish discolored ‘hole’ in the tooth.
If you have such complaints, contact Dr. Shoaib Durrani, the best dentist working in Karachi at Durrani’s Dental Clinic.
