Tooth decay, also known as cavities, is among the most common dental complications that can arise at any stage of life. Initially, tooth decay begins in the areas of softened enamel due to acid-producing bacteria.
Tooth decay symptoms in the early stages involve tooth sensitivity, bad breath, and pain while chewing sweets or foods that are hot or cold, which can result in the loss of a tooth.
In this case, early detection is the best remedy as treatments such as fluoride applications can reverse the decay and protect your teeth. With good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups, any tooth decay pathology can be both prevented and managed.
So let’s look into the causes of a decayed tooth and ways to recognize early tooth decay symptoms so you can protect your pearly whites and keep a dazzling, healthy smile for years to come.
What are the Symptoms of Tooth Decay?
Quick identification of tooth decay symptoms is very important to ensure quick and easy treatment. During the very initial stages, you may not feel any symptoms, hence the importance of regular dental checkups! But there come times when these symptoms start to show due to an increasing cavity:
- Toothache: The pain may be mild or extreme. Also, a sharp, sudden attack of pain may come with no apparent reason. Pain intensifies when you bite down on the offending tooth.
- Sensitivity: This is a sensation of sudden pain that comes quickly with the consumption of food or drink that is hot, cold, sweet, or acidic. It is a very common symptom of tooth decay as the outer protective layers of the tooth have been compromised.
- Visible holes or pits: Sometimes, you may be able to see very small holes or pits on your teeth. These are very clear signs of tooth decay, signifying that the decay has gone a little too far.
- Brown, black, or white stains: You may find some stains on the surface of your tooth. Discolored spots, particularly brown or black, are signs of early tooth decay. On the other hand, white spots may reveal signs of demineralization, which comes before a cavity.
- Pain When Chewing: If it is painful to bite or chew something on a certain tooth, then it is very likely that the tooth is decaying and needs treatment.
- Pus around the Tooth or Gums: At the very late stage, if the decay has caused the infection, there may be pus and swelling around the affected tooth. It is a grave symptom of tooth decay pointing to an abscess.
- Bad Breath or Foul Taste: Persistent bad breath or foul taste in the mouth, in some cases, could be attributed to the bacteria inhabiting the decaying tooth.
Causes of Tooth Decay
What causes a decayed tooth and a hole in the tooth with those uncomfortable cavity symptoms? Actually, there is not one single factor but a whole list of factors.
These mainly include a continuous battering among bacteria that harm us, the sugars we consume, the strength of our tooth enamel over time, and many other reasons. Let’s explore some of the major causes of tooth decay.
1. Bacterial Mechanisms and Plaque Formation
In any case, the mouth is an intricate ecosystem hosting millions of bacteria, some of them helpful and some not. Among the harmful types of bacteria, Streptococcus mutans is the main cause of decay-inducing processes.
These bacteria, with the bits of food and saliva, forever keep a sticky, colorless, one-layer film on our teeth, called plaque. It is the prime source that initially allows acid to be produced.
2. Sugars: Fuel for Acid Production
Consumption of carbohydrate or sugar-rich foods weakens tooth enamel. It could be candy, soda, fruit juices, refined bread, or even starchy snacks. Bacteria in plaque consume all these sugars for their sustenance.
These bacteria, as an intermediary step in their biological process, make an acid. The longer the tooth stays in contact with sugars, the more acid it produces, which ultimately damages the tooth.
3. Acid Attack on Enamel: Demineralization
These acids are very corrosive. They attack the outer layer of the teeth, the enamel, and enamel is the hardest material in nature and is designed to withstand the forces of chewing. But an acid is capable of damaging it.
This acid attack causes demineralization, a process wherein some essential minerals such as calcium and phosphate are drawn out of the enamel structure, thereby weakening it and rendering it porous.
Over a period, these demineralized areas break down, forming microscopic holes, which are the onset of dental caries.
4. Progression Through Tooth Layers
Once this breach is created in the enamel, decay proceeds deeper into the tooth. Beneath the enamel lies the dentin, a softer yellowish layer formed of numerous tubules that lead down directly to the nerve of the tooth.
Yellowish dentin is a much faster path for decay than enamel, and the symptoms of decay and tooth sensitivity become more apparent as it progresses. If not treated on time, the decay would reach the pulp, which is the innermost chamber of the tooth containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.
When the pulp gets infected, it causes acute pain, swelling, and the formation of an abscess accumulation of pus.
5. Poor Oral Hygiene Practices
Inadequate or improper brushing and flossing only hasten the development of tooth decay. If the teeth are not cleaned on a regular basis and with due efficiency, plaque accumulates and hardens into tartar (calculus), which produces acids to eat away the enamel.
No flossing means bacteria and food particles thrive between the teeth and under the gum line to cause interdental cavities, which are harder to spot without a dentist.
6. Snacking-Sipping Cycle
Continuous snacking or sipping of sugary and acidic beverages throughout the day spells near-constant acid assault on the enamel.
There is no time for your saliva to neutralize acids and remineralize the tooth when attacks are continuous. By limiting meal and snack times, saliva gets to do its magic on enamel.
7. Dry Mouth
Saliva helps prevent tooth decay by washing away food debris and neutralizing acid; it also contains minerals necessary for enamel remineralization.
Those with a dry mouth, whether it is due to medication, a medical condition, or aging, have a reduced salivary flow and are at high risk of tooth decay.
8. Certain Food and Drink Habits
Not all are related to sugar. Some foods and drinks can really cause dental harm. Sticky and sugary foods (caramel, gummy bears, dried fruits) tend to cling to teeth for an extended period, increasing the authority time for acid.
Highly acidic beverages (sodas, fruit juices, and sports drinks) start to erode enamel, even before the attack of bacteria.
How to Prevent Tooth Decay
Preventing tooth decay symptoms is much easier (and less painful!) than treating them. Here’s how to keep your smile healthy:
- Brush Twice A Day Using Fluoride Toothpaste: Brush teeth twice for at least two minutes using fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride acts to strengthen enamel and prevents cavities on the surface of decay.
- Limit Sugary and Acidic Foods/Drinks: Decrease the intake of sugary snacks, candies, sodas, and acidic beverages. If you do consume such items, try to wash your mouth with water afterward.
- Drink Water: Water washes away food particles and neutralizes acid in your mouth, thus helping prevent tooth decay.
- Regular Dental Checkups and Cleanings: Go to your dentist regularly, usually every six months, for professional cleanings and checkups. They may detect the early signs of tooth decay, which may have slipped your attention earlier, and administer Fluoride Treatments.
- Fluoride Treatments: Your dentist may suggest Fluoride Treatments and fluoride rinses, particularly if you are prone to cavities. This strengthens tooth enamel.
- Dental Sealants: The back teeth of children and teenagers can be coated with dental sealants. These thin protective coatings fill in the grooves where food gets trapped, preventing powder lines on the faces of decay.
Treatment Options for Tooth Decay
If you do develop a decayed tooth and start experiencing noticeable cavity symptoms, seeking prompt dental treatment is crucial to prevent the decay from spreading further and causing more serious complications. The type of treatment will depend entirely on the extent and severity of the decay.
1. Fluoride Treatments
For very early tooth decay symptoms, particularly white spots indicating initial demineralization of the enamel (before a full cavity has formed), your dentist might recommend professional Fluoride Treatments.
These highly concentrated fluoride applications can help remineralize the weakened enamel, potentially reversing the decay process and strengthening the tooth structure before it progresses into a discernible hole. This is the most conservative treatment option.
2. Filling
For advanced caries that have extended into the dentin, filling is the most commonly used treatment. The decayed portion of the tooth is removed using a dental drill, and after all the decayed material is completely cleaned away, the cavity is filled with restorative material.
Materials widely used for fillings are composite resin, a tooth-colored material that blends well with your natural teeth. The choice of material depends on factors such as the site of the cavity, its size, requirements concerning durability, and cost.
3. Crowns
When decay is sufficiently advanced and has resulted in the loss of a great deal of tooth structure, or where a simple filling cannot properly support a large cavity, it is time for a crown.
A crown is a custom-made cap that completely covers the entire visible portion of the decayed tooth, restoring its shape, strength, function, and appearance. The first thing to do is to remove all the decayed and damaged portions of the tooth and prepare the rest of the tooth for crown support.
Crown material choices vary from porcelain, ceramic, metal alloys, or an amalgamation between one or two materials, depending on the requirements of strength and aesthetics.
4. Root Canal Treatment
The most advanced tooth decay symptoms occur when the infection reaches the pulp (deep inside the tooth where the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue are) and an abscess occurs.
There is much pain involved, and such cases are most worthy of being saved by a root canal. Here, the pulp, infected or inflamed, is carefully removed from the pulp chamber and root canals inside the tooth.
The tooth is then further cleaned and disinfected, shaped, filled, and sealed with a rubber-like material. Following a root canal, usually, a crown is set on the treated tooth to protect it from fracture and restore it to full function.
5. Tooth Extraction
Extraction is typically considered an option of last resort when the tooth has been far too badly damaged by decay for any other restorative procedures to be viable.
Essentially, extraction is carried out when decay has irreversibly damaged the structure of a tooth or has caused an infection so severe that the infection cannot be treated or when a tooth is damaged beyond repair and has no other means of treatment.
Usually, after extraction, it is recommended that the missing tooth be replaced with an artificial replacement, such as a dental implant or a bridge, to stop the neighbouring teeth from drifting, thus regaining the ability to chew and aesthetic appearance.
Conclusion
Tooth decay symptoms are very painful, and therefore, it’s essential to know what causes them and how they can be prevented and treated. Do not ever use pain as the most important guide; regular dental checkups, good oral hygiene, and a careful diet will be your best protection against tooth decay.
Taking action against a painful cavity is going to ensure your teeth are strong and beautiful for years to come. It is worth protecting the smile.
