When you are growing up as a kid, there are two things your mom always tells you: take a shower before you go to bed and brush your teeth. The obvious reason behind this is because you do not want to go to bed with body odor and bad breath.
When you look at it deeper, cleaning is important to get rid of bacteria. If you do not take care of your teeth, in particular, you can develop dental issues. Are you concerned there are signs you have a cavity?
About 80% of kids and nearly 100% of adults have oral issues that can become worse when not addressed. Keep reading to learn if you may have a cavity and what you should do next.
1. You Notice Bad Breath
Cavities on the tooth are packed with bacteria that can look to tooth decay and lead to halitosis (bad breath). The accumulation of bacteria can make it harder to get fresh breath even when you brush your teeth or use mouthwash.
The bad breath may not go away under normal conditions. This is a major sign you have a cavity and should meet with a professional. The sooner you address it, the more money you get to keep and put aside.
2. There Is a Hole in Your Tooth
If there’s a clear sigh you can tell if you have a cavity, it’s nothing you have a hole in your teeth. The hole may be small or large. The moment you can see or feel it, the cavity has already progressed.
The best way you can test this yourself is by running your tongue over your teeth. Do you feel any dents? If you do, you probably have one. You can also look at a mirror to see if you have cavities.
This is an easier task when you are looking at the bottom set of your teeth. When you want to look at the upper set, a dental mirror can help. Most people who have cavities get them on the upper half of their teeth and do not notice it most of the time because of its inconspicuous location. Depending on how deep the hole is, you may need to get fillings.
3. You See Dark Spots
Dark spots are a sign of long-term, untreated cavities. Most people notice dark spots right away. It will look as if the tooth is rotten. In a sense, it is, and the infected tooth may decay over time if you continue to leave it alone.
Dark spots are more likely to appear first on your tooth before holes do. When you have dark spots, bacteria are already eating their way through the enamel. You need treatment right away.
4. You Experience Sensitive Teeth
Sensitive teeth are often a separate issue some people experience when they eat or drink certain foods or foods at a certain temperature. There’s a greater chance you can develop sensitive teeth when you have a cavity.
Sensitivity results because the teeth become hypersensitive to bacteria and other types of external stimuli that wear out the teeth by thinning the enamel. When you erode your enamel, you expose the nerves in your teeth more. These nerves come into direct contact with the things you put in your mouth and you will feel it.
You can find relief from sensitive teeth using sensitive toothpaste, but you should not use it as a way to mask the problem. Still get your teeth checked.
5. Tooth Pain
Untreated cavities can eventually cause tooth pain. When you leave symptoms of a cavity alone, you risk making the pain worse. This pain may be something you experience when you chew or bite down on something hard like candy.
Tooth pain can occur any time, however, without warning. There are times it can interrupt sleep when pain comes out of nowhere. The pain that comes and goes may become more consistent and frequent over time. Before the pain becomes unbearable, you should have your tooth checked.
6. You Have a Broken Tooth or Chips
If you know you did not chip or break your tooth during extreme impact, the appearance should be questionable. It’s possible you have a cavity, and the chip occurs when you bite down on something that’s hard or use force. This normally wouldn’t happen.
Before the chipped or broken tooth has the chance to spread further, you want to get this fixed before you may require a tooth extraction.
7. You Develop Pus Teeth
The appearance of pus is a more serious sign that you have a cavity. At this point, the cavity becomes an abscess. When you have an abscess, you will notice the area around the gums are inflamed, red, and swollen. Pain may be accompanied by fever.
In some cases, your glands also swell. You need to get pus corrected as soon as possible. Dentists will normally prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that has spread.
Take That Trip to the Dentist When You Have Signs You Have a Cavity
When you see signs you have a cavity, you should never ignore it no matter what stage it is in. If you can catch it early, there are conservative ways to help treat the cavity at the dentist. Most dentists may need to fill the cavity. Other options for cavities include adding dental crowns.
In the worst-case scenario, you may have to do a root canal if you have a cavity that left your tooth and gums in a terrible condition. You should always correct a cavity before it becomes worse which will make tooth decay all the more likely.
You can have healthy teeth when you take care of it and you can still have healthy teeth when you address oral issues rather than pretending they do not exist.
