Don’t Wait To Get Your Cavities Filled

One of the reasons that some people balk at any mention of going to the dentist is because they equate dental visits with negative experiences getting cavities filled. Unfortunately, this is likely because they have waited too long to get the cavity filled in the first place. With regular visits to the dentist every six months, early detection of cavities is possible and their severity can be drastically reduced.

So, why do dentists fill cavities in the first place?

Teeth are comprised of multiple layers, from the enamel that coats their outer surface to the dental pulp at their center. When tooth decay attacks the tooth’s surface, it can form small holes in the enamel. These holes are cavities, and at the outset, they are not necessarily painful. But when cavities deepen and reach the interior of the tooth, they can become painful – and can cause serious damage to the tooth if not addressed immediately. As a cavity worsens, a tooth becomes more vulnerable and the probability of more drastic measures increases dramatically. Cavities that reach the tooth’s pulp can require a root canal, which is a far more involved procedure than a mere filling. Truly severe cavities can destroy so much of the tooth that a crown is necessary, and if the pulp should become seriously irritated or infected, an abscess may form and extracting the tooth may be the only possible treatment.

Abscesses are not only painful, they can also be dangerous. In general, an infection in your head should be addressed immediately so that it does now spread. The infection inside of an abscess can attack the bone or soft tissue of the jaw and even spill into the bloodstream or invade other parts of the body.

Filling a small cavity does not have to be a scary procedure. During the filling process, your dentist will drill into the tooth at the site of the cavity to make space for the filling and to access and carefully clean out any debris or decayed material. Your dentist will then use one of several possible types of fillings, such as amalgam, composite, porcelain, or even gold to fill the cavity. Once the cavity is cleaned and filled, the risk of further health consequences from the cavity is virtually eliminated.

Poor dental health has been linked to several medical disorders, and historically, tooth decay sometimes led to serious illness or worse. But with the advent of modern dentistry techniques, we live in an era where dental care focuses on the prevention of tooth decay and the quick treatment of any dental problems.

No one wants to lose a tooth to decay or go through unpleasant and elaborate dental procedures once a cavity gets out of hand – let alone deal with the potentially dangerous health consequences of letting a cavity go untreated. The good news is that if you are diligent about regular visits to the dentist, early detection can prevent a cavity from becoming serious enough to require anything more than a minor filling.