What are Cavities?
“Cavities” is another way of saying tooth decay. Tooth decay is heavily influenced by lifestyle, what we eat, how well we take care of our teeth, the presence of fluoride in our water and toothpaste. Heredity also plays a role in how susceptible your teeth may be to decay.
Cavities are very serious. Left untreated, a cavity can destroy your tooth and kill the delicate nerves at its centre, which may result in an abscess, an area of infection at the root tip. Once an abscess forms, it can only be treated with a root canal, surgery or by extracting the tooth.
- Stage One: The Initial Lesion : no symptoms only slight discoloration
- Stage Two: Decay of Tooth Enamel.
- Stage Three: Decay of Dentin: sensitive to cold and sweet things
- StageFour: Infection of the Dental Pulp. Sensitive to hot, pains for hours= pain medication may not alleviate the pain