A couple weeks ago, we published a blog post about some of the myths and common misconceptions about cavities. Our readers seemed to like that one, which was awesome for us because our conversations about cavities usually aren't much fun at work. It encouraged us to come up with another post of facts you should know about tooth decay.
Cavities are Technically a Disease
It's true, cavities are a disease. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) label cavities the most common chronic disease of children aged 6 to 11 years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. The CDC reports that tooth decay is actually four times more common than asthma in adolescents aged 14 to 17 years, and adults don't fare much better. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that about 90% of adults over the age of 20 have some form of tooth root decay.
Despite these scary facts, we have actually come a long way. Water fluoridation has played a huge role in reducing the occurrence of tooth decay, especially for children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that water fluoridation reduced the amount of tooth decay in children's teeth by almost half in the 20th century.
Even if Your Tooth Doesn't Hurt, You Probably Need a Filling
At our Turlock dental practice, we operate under a tooth-conservation treatment philosophy. If we can save your healthy tooth structure, we will. We don't like altering your teeth any more than we absolutely have to. Some high-volume dental practices will "grind and cap" teeth at every possible opportunity, usually to pay for an expensive new piece of equipment.
As much as we don't like using our drill, if we spot a cavity we are probably going to have to alter your tooth some, even if the cavity isn't causing you any noticeable pain. Filling a cavity is a prevention technique to keep the acid-secreting bacteria in your mouth from infecting deeper tissues within your tooth. Stopping the decay is crucial to save you from altering your teeth any further. By filling the tooth, we can help you avoid painful abscesses, root canals, and extractions.
Digital X-Rays Spot Cavities That Can't Be Seen With the Naked Eye
It's common for our patients in Turlock to be surprised when we show them a digital X-ray of their tooth decay. Often, this is because they can't see the decay with their naked eye. Digital X-ray machines are great for examining the teeth because they highlight calcified materials like your bones and teeth. Because cavities are essentially a lack of calcification due to acid damage, they also show up very well in contrast to your tooth enamel.
The truth is that you can only see cavities without an X-ray when they are really big. As dentists, we can usually spot the telltale signs of a cavity, but most people won't when they look at their teeth in a mirror, until it's too late.
Thanks for Reading!
We hope this information about cavities is both helpful and interesting to you. If you enjoy reading our dental news, tips, and facts, please like us on Facebook. Also, help us spread the news about good oral health by sharing this if you know someone that will benefit from the information. Thanks for visiting our blog!