What is Tooth Decay?
Tooth decay is a common dental condition that can result in a cavity forming, and this is also called dental caries. Cavities occur due to the bacteria in your mouth, as these bacteria create acid as they feed on leftover food particles which will weaken the tooth enamel. Eventually the dentine, which is the part of the tooth underneath the hard enamel, will be exposed. Dentine is much softer than tooth enamel and is much more susceptible towards decay.
Untreated tooth decay can eventually cause pain, as the decay will eat away at the dentine, eventually reaching the central part of the tooth which is called the pulp. If it is allowed to reach this stage then the pulp will become infected, and will require root canal treatment at our Parrock Street surgery. If you manage to somehow ignore the pain then may eventually go away as the pulp will die, and it contains all the nerves and blood supply to tooth. This doesn’t mean the infection will disappear, as it will continue to destroy the tooth and the surrounding structures. The eventual outcome could be the loss of the tooth, and you might end up needing dental implants in Kent.
Avoiding Tooth Decay
Luckily it’s quite straightforward and simple to avoid or at least to lessen your risk of developing tooth decay. Regular check-ups with Dr Rik Trivedi or another Kent dentist will allow early signs of tooth decay to be detected and either monitored or treated. Our dentists use strong lighting combined with high magnification to identify areas that are at risk of decay.
This enables us to detect small cavities when they are much easier to treat, and much less costly to fill. It’s all too easy to miss the early signs of tooth decay, and to make sure this doesn’t happen our dentists will want to take regular dental x-rays of your teeth. Dental x-rays show hidden areas of your teeth, for example in the contact areas in between each tooth were cavities can often form.
If you do have any small cavities then they can be easily filled using white cosmetic fillings. These are tooth coloured fillings that are virtually undetectable, and which will help to protect the rest the tooth against decay.
If you haven’t had a check-up recently then now is a great time to put that right. Why not pick up the phone and call us on 01474 537191 to book your appointment? If you prefer you can request a call back simply by filling in the form online at www.parrockdental.co.uk