Decatur Dentistry - Causes of Cavities

Cavities are one of the most common health problems in the US, especially among children. Cavities are also largely preventable. Dental hygiene and teeth cleaning, and visiting your dentist for a cleaning every six months, significantly reduce your risk of cavities. At Bella Dental Services, our Decatur, Georgia family dentists can help you avoid cavities.

Common Causes of Tooth Cavities

Cavities are caused by the activity of bacteria on your teeth. After you eat or drink, bacteria in your mouth feast on the debris left on your teeth. The bacteria release an acidic product, and both combine with your saliva and food debris to form plaque, the sticky film on your teeth.

Plaque eats away at your tooth enamel, the hard outer surface of your teeth. As the enamel erodes and tooth decay progresses, a cavity is formed.

The risk of cavities increases with:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Frequent snacking
• Eating sticky, sugary or starchy foods
• Inadequate fluoride exposure

Bad oral hygiene allows plaque to accumulate on your teeth. The unchecked progression of tooth decay can lead to a cavity. By brushing and flossing your teeth appropriately, you reduce the bacterial activity on your enamel.

Dentistry to Prevent and Treat Cavities

Depending on the progress and extent of the cavity, dentistry treatments may include:

• Dental fillings
• Porcelain inlays and onlays
• Root canal
• Dental crown

It is important for cavities to be prevented, and, when they do occur, to be promptly halted. Left untreated, cavities continue to destroy deeper levels of your tooth. Decay begins at the outer enamel surface. If you visit our office regularly, our family dentists typically can detect cavities at this early stage.

If tooth decay is not stopped, it will progress to the underlying dentin, the soft tissue beneath the enamel. Next, the cavity enters the inner chamber of your tooth. This chamber houses the pulp of your tooth. The pulp contains nerves and blood vessels. Once decay advances to this stage, you may experience severe tooth pain and sensitivity, especially when biting. Here, the decay may ultimately lead to a tooth abscess and other problems if root canal therapy is not performed.

In some cases, cavities could ultimately lead to tooth loss. These are cases in which the cavity is not treated, so decay can flourish without interference. Dentistry services are vital to addressing cavities, which are unlikely to cause any detectable pain in early stages. Our dentists can effectively diagnose and treat tooth decay before it gets worse.

If you live in Georgia, including Clarkston and Decatur, and want to learn more about dentistry for cavities, please contact Bella Dental Services to schedule a free initial consultation with our experienced family dentists.