What Are the Signs of a Cavity?

Wouldn’t it be great if you and your family had perfect teeth with no issues whatsoever? That would be a rare family, indeed, given that 46% of kids between the ages of 2 and 19 in the United States have at least one cavity. The numbers don’t get any better in adulthood — 90% of adults between the ages of 20 and 64 have some degree of tooth decay.

So, getting through life without at least one cavity is uncommon, which is why the team here at Hillsdale Dental Care wants to focus on recognizing the signs of tooth decay and cavities in your family’s teeth. 

Under the direction of dental experts Dr. Magdalena Azzarelli and Dr. Roge Jacob, we help our clients stay one step ahead of tooth decay with quick-and-easy treatments that can prevent future tooth loss.

What creates cavities

The tiny culprits behind tooth decay and dental caries (the medical term for cavities) are bacteria and, making matters confusing, not all bacteria are bad. There are 700 species of microbes that live in your mouth, and they all add up to billions of bacteria, some good and some bad.

The bad bacteria are the ones that form plaque on your teeth — that slippery substance you can feel on your teeth before you brush them. This plaque creates an environment where bacteria can flourish, and when bad bacteria thrive, it means they’re eating away at your teeth and gums.

When bacteria wreak havoc on your teeth, we call it tooth decay. This can lead to erosion and, you guessed it, small holes in your teeth that we call cavities.

The good news is that we can easily stop this tooth decay and save your tooth if we can plug the cavity before the bacteria do too much damage.

Recognizing tooth decay and cavities

Unfortunately, during the early stages of tooth decay, you might not experience any symptoms if you have a cavity. This is why it’s so important to keep up with your family's regular dental exams with us. 

During these visits, we routinely check for cavities, both visually and through X-rays, and we take swift action to control any decay and damage we find by placing a filling. This simple action can prevent the decay from spreading as the filling puts an end to the current breach and prevents bacteria from gaining further access.

Depending on the extent of the tooth decay and the location of the cavity, you can also develop symptoms, which include:

• Tooth pain — the decay has exposed a nerve
• Heightened sensitivity to hot and cold
• Bad breath — feeding bacteria release odorous gasses
• Bleeding gums
• Pain or sensitivity when brushing or flossing

If you or a family member is experiencing any of the symptoms above, please don’t wait for your regularly scheduled dental exam to come see us. Instead, make a special appointment so we can take a look and stop the decay in its tracks with a cleaning and filling. Not to mention, the quick filling will also relieve any discomfort you’ve been feeling, so that alone should be motivation enough.

For quick and easy identification and treatment of cavities in your family’s teeth, please contact our office in San Jose, California, to set up an appointment.