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Cavities begin with plaque, which is an invisible film that occurs naturally in your mouth and sticks to your teeth. It contains bacteria (germs) and forms on your teeth daily. These bacteria are normal and mostly harmless. They become an issue when the plaque is not cleaned from your teeth by brushing and flossing, and are allowed to build up on and between your teeth. Plaque forms in colonies and needs to be disturbed to prevent cavities/tooth decay. When sugars in the food that you eat mix with the bacteria in plaque, an acid is created. The acid attacks healthy tooth structure and causes tooth decay to slowly eat away at tooth enamel. This process causes tooth decay.
The most common treatment for a cavity is a dental filling. This treatment involves the removal of tooth decay by your dentist and the placement of a filling. The most common materials used to fill cavities are amalgam (sometimes called silver), or composite resin (sometimes called white). It is important to speak with the dentist and his team and have them help you make a decision about which material would be better for you depending on the location, preference, and situation.
The type of repair depends on the severity and depth of the cavity. During your regular exam appointments the dentist will find most cavities in their early stages and will discuss your options for treatment. A cavity can start in the enamel on the sides of the teeth where they touch each other. Decay can form on any outside part of the tooth. Next, if left untreated, the decay extends through the softer dentin and can enter the pulp chamber. When the decay reaches this stage it causes the pulp to die and an abscess may form at the root tip. If an abscess forms it causes pressure on the vital nerve endings outside of the root, in the surrounding bone causing the tooth to hurt. An abscess can cause pain in the tooth, swelling of the surrounding soft tissue and usually a severe toothache. To treat an abscess a root canal will need to be performed. It may be that the abscess, and tooth decay are too bad and the tooth may have to be extracted.
