Learn about Dental Cavities

It may surprise you how little you know about cavities. Most adults associate them with children, for example. But thanks to early education and fluoridated water supplies, kids are becoming models of dental health. Adults, on the other hand, often ignore dental cautions, and risk needing root canal therapy by eating recklessly and making false assumptions.

A cavity is more than just a hole in your tooth. It’s a gateway to the nerve of the tooth, meaning any tooth with a cavity is at risk of death. This is why root canals are so rampant, and root canals cannot bring a tooth back to life. They simply prepare a tooth for viewing by removing infected pulp and keeping the tooth intact.

Fillings for cavities do not last forever. Teeth don’t, so why should fillings? You may need dental work to replace your fillings over time. And even teeth that have fillings can get more cavities, due to decay that creeps in around the edges.

Sipping sodas all day, even diet or sugarless sodas, are terrible for your dental health. Sodas are highly acidic and have a low pH, causing heavy erosion to the teeth. Then there’s the sugar content, which is off the charts.

Maybe the biggest myth about cavities is that if your tooth does not hurt, there’s no way it has a cavity. Many of the worst cavities are painless right up until you need a root canal. Decay is a slow process, and does not hurt by definition. 

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