As the cavity gets worse, the bacteria will infect the tooth pulpThe pulp is the connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, and odontoblasts that comprise the innermost layer of a tooth. The pulp's activity and signalling processes regulate its behaviour.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pulp_(tooth)
Cavities are a gateway to infection, which can spread fast the longer it goes untreated. As soon as an infection makes its way into your bloodstream, it can travel throughout the rest of your body, which has fatal consequences. Without treating a cavity, you risk serious illness and death.
It can take as long as five years from the time a cavity begins to develop to when the tooth needs treatment to prevent the cavity from spreading further. For some people, though, that period can be as short as a few months.
Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Untreated cavities can lead to abscess (a severe infection) under the gums which can spread to other parts of the body and have serious, and in rare cases fatal, results.
If cavities aren't treated, they get larger and affect deeper layers of your teeth. They can lead to a severe toothache, infection and tooth loss. Regular dental visits and good brushing and flossing habits are your best protection against cavities and tooth decay.
Those that are too deep or too large may require a more intensive treatment. Once bacteria have entered your tooth, it may be too late for a filling because we will need to prevent or treat an existing infection. However, it's never too late for dental care!
Every Cavity Is Different
Some people have softer tooth enamel than others, making it easier for bacteria or acid to penetrate the tooth. On average, as a broad timeline, it can take anywhere from six months to four or five years before a cavity needs treatment. The conditions of your mouth change daily.
For all the good brushing does, it will not eliminate the cavity. The bottom line is you do not have the power to stop your cavity from growing. Your cavity will gradually expand to the point that it moves into the pulp chamber and spurs pain. If the cavity reaches the pulp of the tooth, it will require a root canal.
The infection can lead to more serious, life-threatening infections. This is especially so if you have other underlying conditions. It can also result in gum disease. Tooth decay and gum disease can lead to heart and brain infections if progressed far enough.
A person having a deep cavity may feel a toothache or pain while eating, drinking, or biting down, a strong sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet food/drinks, bad taste or bad breath in the mouth, or can even feel a hole or crack in the tooth with the help of tongue.
If you see pus near a tooth or teeth, your cavity has gone too far. It's become an abscess that needs to be handled right away. Abscesses are very painful and cause fevers and swollen glands. Pus will routinely collect and drain from the abscess, causing great pain.
Teeth start to appear as early as four months of age, and all primary (“baby”) teeth should be in place by age three. 42% of children develop cavities from age 2 to 11. Nearly 28% of children aged 2 to 5 develop a cavity.
Although dark spots do not always indicate a cavity—they may just be surface stains—you have no real way of knowing. If you spy a black or brown spot on a tooth, your first course of action should be to schedule an appointment with a dentist.
What Does a Cavity Look Like? While it is usually difficult to see a cavity in its beginning stages, some cavities start with a whitish or chalky appearance on the enamel of your tooth. More serious cases can have a discolored brown or black color. However, most often there are no distinguishable red alerts.
Though good oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing helps in preventing cavities, you may still get cavities. The reasons can be many, like the spaces between teeth that easily trap food, consuming too much cavity-causing foods and beverages, avoiding regular professional-level cleanings and checkups, etc.
Cavities don't develop overnight. It takes weeks, months, even years for a cavity to form. In fact, most cavities take around six months to five years to develop. If a cavity is caught early enough, you can actually reverse the damage to your child's teeth.
If you are experiencing pain due to a cavity or an infection, then your discomfort will persistently last for more than 48 hours and will continue to worsen with time.
Multiple factors can influence how quickly tooth decay progresses, including oral hygiene, diet, and more. However, most cavities take several months or years to form.
Usually, the recommended maximum amount of time between dental appointments is six months. However, your dentist in Fairfax may recommend that certain people visit more often, including those who are at higher risk of developing dental problems such as: Pregnant women.
You should not neglect brushing the affected tooth, as this will accelerate the rate that bacteria builds up in and around the cavity. This build up of bacteria may make the swelling, and hence the pain, even worse. Brushing your teeth will not, however, make the toothache go away (sadly).
Overall, nearly 57% of adolescents 12 to 19 years have had dental caries in their permanent teeth. Older adolescents, Mexican American adolescents, and those living in families with lower incomes were more likely to have decay.
In general, adults develop an average of three cavities during their lifetimes. This means that the average adult has three or four fillings in their mouth. Some patients end up with ten or more fillings depending on how well they care for their teeth.
4. Is it my fault my child has a cavity? Many parents struggle when they find out they're child has a cavity, though there's no need to panic or be hard on yourself. Take heart and know that a cavity doesn't mean you've failed as a parent or that you've necessarily done anything wrong.
In the case of a deeper cavity that has reached the pulp or nerve canals, you may notice a bad taste in your mouth. Severe spontaneous pain, pain to pressure, pain that wakes you up at night and pain to hot are often signs of an infected nerve.