Some people tend to brush off health issues and not take action, as they usually get better by themselves. A person may, for example, ignore a small wound or a cold until it heals or eventually goes away. Unlike some health issues that go away when you ignore them, a cavity or tooth decay does not spontaneously get better and will only get worse, so action is needed the moment your dentist detects one.

What Are Cavities?

Cavities are holes in the teeth which are caused by a combination of bacterial growth and acidic environment. This is formed when microorganisms in your teeth surface become active (usually as they are regularly exposed to and feed on sugars in your mouth). When they do so, they start eating away at the hard tissue of your teeth, causing holes to form. A cavity may start out small, but when left unchecked and untreated, will simply continue to grow and cause more and more problems.

What Happens Then

If a cavity is not treated with a filling, it can destroy the whole tooth, making it hard to conventional restoration. Sometimes, the bacteria may eat at the whole tooth and reach the pulp chamber, where blood vessels and nerves are located. This can cause severe pain and discomfort as irritation and infection occurs. If this happens, only a root canal treatment can fix the problem, after which the tooth would be restored with a crown.

There are also some situations where almost all of the tooth is destroyed that there is nothing else left to do but to extract it. Aside from, teeth loss – tooth decay can also cause bad breath, even after constant brushing and flossing and gargling of mouth wash.

Ideally, you do not want your tooth decay to reach a point where it becomes irreversible. Thus, it is recommended that you see a dentist every six months to keep your teeth healthy. Regular checkups also help detect problems like cavities in their earlier stage. This way, it can still be dealt with using milder and easier treatments like fillings.

If your dentist tells you that you have cavities and recommends a treatment plan – don’t put it off until it’s too late. Cavities won’t go away on their own so you need definitely need to do something about it as soon as you can.