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Cavity and Tooth Decay Prevention: What You Can Do

Catch cavities before they cause you severe pain

Cavities severely affect your oral health. They’re permanently damaged areas in the hard surface of your teeth that turn into small holes. Another name for cavities is caries, and they’re best known as tooth decay. Cavities form from many factors such as bacteria, constant snacking, sugary or acidic foods and beverages, and improperly cleaning your teeth. These holes grow when left untreated, and as a result, it could lead to headaches, infections, and tooth loss. Take your oral health seriously. Here are some oral health tips about what you can do to prevent cavities and tooth decay.

What Causes Cavities?

When plaque starts to form, you should pay special attention to it, and seek the help of a top dentist. When plaque stays on your enamel, it becomes harder, turning into tartar. Tartar makes it harder to remove plaque, and your mouth becomes a resting place for bacteria. The acids found in plaque begins to extract minerals from your enamel, causing tiny holes, or cavities to form.

What are the Symptoms? 

Initially, you may not even know that a cavity is there. However, as it grows, you’ll begin to notice some signs. These signs include:

  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Toothaches, sharp, spontaneous pains to be exact
  • Mild to severe pain when eating something sweet, hot, or cold
  • Holes in your teeth
  • White, black, or brown stains on the surface of any tooth
  • Pain when biting

When You Should See a Dentist

See a dentist every six months, possibly more depending on the severity of the pain. Even if your mouth feels fine, only a top dentist has the x-rays tools to get a close look at your mouth. Regularly scheduled appointments are significant so that you’ll always know what’s going on with your oral health. If you experience any sharp pains, see a dentist right away. Never delay or prolong, seeing a top dentist.

What Happens if I Ignore My Cavities?

Unfortunately, cavities are common. Many people ignore them often until they become a severe problem. Ignoring this oral health issue could lead to pain as you eat, which may cause nutritional problems or even weight loss. Tooth loss is also another damaging effect that affects a person’s self-esteem. 

How to Prevent Cavities

  • Eat healthy foods
  • Be mindful of snacking
  • Drink a lot of water
  • Visit your dentist regularly 

If you don’t have a dentist’s office that you can call home, consider us. We’re not only experts at cosmetic dentistry, but we’re family-oriented, and nothing matters more to us than your comfort. 

Get in Touch With Smile Designs of Olney Today!

For your smile makeover or any other dental needs, come to Smile Designs of Olney! Book an appointment with us. Whether you want your teeth whitened, straightened, or restored altogether, we pride ourselves on quality patient care and giving you the smile makeover that you deserve. Our small, professional staff will make you feel right at home. We service the Montgomery County regions including Olney, Laytonsville, Brookville, Silver Spring, Rockville, Columbia, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Germantown, MD. Contact us at (301) 260-0700, visit us online, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 13th, 2019 at 10:20 am. Both comments and pings are currently closed.