What Are Cavities and How to Prevent Them
Dr. Alfonso, what are dental cavities?
Basically, a cavity is just a hole in your tooth. It's caused mostly by bacteria in your mouth that feeds off sugars and all the bad stuff that we eat. What it produces is an acid that starts to eat a hole into the tooth. The actual hole is the cavity.
Hey guys, I'm Dr. Delgado here from Delgado Dental Group, and I'm going to answer some questions about cavities. We get a lot of questions, so I'm going to answer some of the most common ones.
How does a dentist check for cavities?
There are a couple of ways we can check for cavities. Obviously, we're going to look in your mouth and see if we can see something visually. But probably the best way to check for a cavity is by taking an X-ray. That actually allows us to see inside the tooth to really see if there is a hole in there.
Can the cavity spread to other teeth?
Cavities themselves can't spread, but what happens is the bacteria in your mouth spreads all over, causing cavities in other places. Typically, if you have a cavity between two teeth, the bacteria is between the two teeth where it's tight and hard to clean. So, a lot of times you'll get a cavity between the two.
Is it possible for cavities to go away?
Well, cavities can go away by really only one way, and that's for the dentist to remove all the soft tooth structure and the bacteria. Then it goes away when we fill the hole with either a filling or a crown or some other kind of restoration.
How do you stop a cavity from progressing?
One way to try to stop a cavity from progressing is to keep your mouth clean. Another way is with fluoride. Fluoride has the property of arresting the bacteria in your mouth.
How long does a cavity filling last?
A really good question I often get is how long a filling should last. The best answer is it just depends. People want to know if it's going to last a lifetime, but I always tell people, well, what God gave you didn't last a lifetime. It's going to depend on how well it was placed, but really on how well you take care of your filling. If you don't take care of it, it's going to last less.
Can dental cleanings prevent cavities?
Another question I get asked is, can a cleaning help prevent cavities? Indirectly, yes, because when you get your teeth cleaned, you're reducing the bacteria in your mouth, especially between your teeth. In that sense, it can help reduce cavities. But the best way is by brushing your teeth at least twice a day, preferably after every meal.
What should I do if I suspect I have a cavity?
If you think you might have a cavity, if you're having a sore tooth or something like that, the smartest thing to do is call your dental office, get a checkup, and see what it looks like. See if we can get it fixed.
I'm glad I was able to answer some of your questions. If you have any other questions, give us a call at Delgado Dental Group (209) 474-8888 and we'll be happy to help you.