What You Need To Know About Cavities

One of the worst things you can hear from your family dentist is that you have a cavity. Cavities are painful, and it’s never fun to hear that you haven’t taken very good of care of your teeth. Shifa Dental, a dentist office located in Plano, TX, wants to help you have the best dental care possible. We want you to avoid cavities and maintain those pearly whites you’re so proud of. We are a family dentist office that would like to educate you about cavities.

Dental Care: Cavities

A cavity is a hole in your tooth that can grow bigger and deeper over time, resulting in a lot of discomfort. It’s very important to get a cavity taken care of because of other medical problems that can develop if you don’t. Anyone can get a cavity, but as you get older your gums pull away from your teeth, which is why older people have more teeth problems than children. When your gums are pulled away from your teeth your teeth are exposed to plaque, which clings to your teeth and helps to eat away at the outermost layer of the tooth called enamel. What it comes down to is that a cavity is damage to the tooth. If you feel pain in your tooth or see holes, then you might have a cavity, so call [uxi_button link=”14692515533″ new_window=”0″ tel=”1″ class=”button-35″ padding_x=”” padding_y=”” text=”+1(469)251-5533″ text_size=”14″ text_size_mobile=”” text_font=”header-font” sub_text=”” sub_text_size=”12″ sub_text_size_mobile=”” sub_text_font=”header-font” icon=”” icon_size=”12″ icon_size_mobile=”” icon_align=””] to get checked out.

Avoiding Cavities

As your dentist has probably told you every time you go visit them, remember to brush and floss to avoid cavities. In addition, avoid eating sugary and high-carb foods. Visiting your dentist regularly for teeth cleanings and oral exams will help prevent problems early on. Fruits and vegetables also help to avoid cavities by increasing the saliva in your mouth to help wash away food particles. Lastly, fluoride is very helpful in fighting tooth decay. You can buy fluoride toothpaste that helps to fight off cavities; in some places, the tap water is laden with fluoride that will assist in keeping your teeth as healthy as possible.

Treating A Cavity

Treating a cavity depends on how bad the cavity happens to be. Usually, the dentist drills into your tooth to remove the decayed portion and then fills it so there’s not a hole in your tooth. A filling can be done with a variety of different materials, such as silver alloy, gold, porcelain, and even mercury-based fillings called amalgams. If you have a very bad cavity, then you’ll need a crown because there isn’t much left of your tooth. If the tooth is completely dead, then you would need a root canal. A root canal removes everything, the root is filled with a sealing, and a crown is put on the filled tooth.

Remember to brush those pearly whites and visit your family dentist to avoid getting cavities. Check out our services to see if we’re the right dentist for you. Contact us for any questions!