Treating Tooth Decay: No Need to Wait for Cavities

Fixing a decaying tooth doesn’t simply mean filling or drilling any more. While the way tooth decay forms has remained unchanged, treatment for tooth decay has undergone a lot of changes in recent years.

The process of tooth decay starts with bacteria called Streptococcus mutans. The bacteria feed on carbohydrates and food particles stuck in the gaps of teeth. The bacteria produce an acid that corrodes the crystal surface of the teeth. Over a period of time, the enamel breaks, eventually forming a cavity.

Although the process has remained the same, the time taken for cavity formation has become longer over the years. Back in the 1960s, it took only a few months for a cavity to form. Now, it takes years for a cavity to form from the day the bacterial action begins.

The main reason for this is the fluoride content in toothpastes and in the public water supplies in America. Fluoride makes teeth stronger and fights off the loss of minerals, effectively delaying decay.  When the benefits of fluoride came to light, federal health agencies introduced fluoride into public drinking water supplies.  This means that every person gets the benefit of fluoride, whenever he does something as simple as drink a glass of tap water.

The long time taken for tooth decay to set in has alleviated the need for the fire fighting approach to treatment adopted by dentists earlier. Dentists today can intervene much before a cavity is formed. They may spot a white patch or find signs on an X-ray report.

With timely dental check up and by maintaining good oral hygiene, tooth decay can be stopped in its tracks. Dentists normally begin early treatment with queries about dietary habits and the patient's oral hygiene habits. Then, the dentist will evaluate the level of cavity-causing bacteria formation in the mouth. All these factors and any history of cavity formation will be taken into consideration to determine the risk of cavity formation in the future.

Eating less of sweet or starchy foods, having low levels of cavity-causing bacteria, and not having a single cavity in the past one year puts a person at a low risk of developing cavity. If your dentist finds a suspicious white spot on a tooth, he will paint fluoride varnish or calcium paste to the affected tooth. He will also repair the area where the cavity was about to form, with a process known as remineralization.

Filling or drilling will not be required for dental patients with a low risk of cavity formation. The patient will be required to visit the dentist’s office regularly. During each visit, the dentist will monitor the improvement of the patient. Treatment will continue till the risk factor is completely eliminated, and the dentist will treat the affected teeth again and again to completely minimize the risk of decay.

People with a high risk of dental cavities will have to visit their dentist frequently. Their dentist may prescribe mouth rinses to kill bacteria in the mouth. Filling or drilling may be performed on broken teeth surfaces. With such preventive treatment, the patient has a lowered risk of developing newer cavities.

Next time you visit your dentist, ask him about cavity prevention techniques.