Regular checkups can help identify cavities and other dental diseases before they lead to worrisome symptoms and lead to more serious problems. The sooner you seek care, the better your chances of reversing the early stages of tooth decay and preventing its progression. If a cavity is treated before it starts to hurt, you probably won’t need extensive treatment.
Treatment for cavities depends on how severe it is and your particular situation. Treatment options include:
fluoride treatments. If decay is just beginning, fluoride treatment may help restore tooth enamel and can sometimes reverse decay in its very early stages. Specialty fluoride treatments contain more fluoride than tap water, toothpaste, and mouth rinses. Fluoride treatments may be in the form of a liquid, gel, foam or coating applied to your teeth with a brush or placed in a small container that fits over your teeth.
padding. Fillings, also called dental restorations, are the main treatment option when decay has progressed beyond the initial stage. Fillings are made of different materials, such as tooth-colored composite resins, porcelain, or dental amalgam, which is a mixture of several materials.
Dental crowns. For severe decay or weak teeth, you may need a crown — a specially fused cap that replaces a tooth’s natural crown. Your dentist removes all of the decayed area far enough from the rest of the tooth to ensure a good fit. Crowns may be made of gold, very hard porcelain, resin, porcelain fused to metal or other materials.
root canals. When the decay has reached the inner material of your tooth (the pulp), you may need a root canal. This is a treatment to repair and save a severely damaged or infected tooth rather than removing it. The affected tooth pulp is removed. Sometimes medicine is placed inside the root canal to treat any infection. Then the pulp is replaced with the filling.
Tooth extraction. Sometimes some teeth become so deeply decayed that they cannot be restored and must be removed. An extracted tooth can create a gap that allows your other teeth to drift apart. If possible, you may consider getting a bridge or undergoing a dental implant to replace missing teeth.
