Most dental problems arise due to tooth cavities or decay, though both these are interchangeable words, but in dentistry, they are described as different procedures. Both types of dental problems affect your teeth, and to get rid of both these problems, you need to visit at the dentist and get the right treatment.
However, knowing
the difference between decay and cavity is
important to take care of teeth, avoid food that causes these diseases and to
get the right treatment. Understanding the symptoms and root causes of such
dental problems will help you to avoid them and take the right approach. Hence,
here we have mentioned the key difference
between tooth decay and cavities with their impact and curable solutions.
What is Tooth Decay?
Tooth decay is
the process of destruction and damage of the outer layer of your tooth. The
tooth decay is mainly caused by the acids produced by the bacteria in plaque
and affects the enamel. The acids responsible for the bacteria are created when
bacteria consume sugars and starches from the food, eroding the enamel that
ultimately leads to holes, causing pain and infections.
What is a Cavity in Teeth?
The cavity is a
hole or decomposed spot in a tooth, mainly caused by tooth decay. This usually
happens when acids from bacteria in plaque break down tooth enamel. When
you ignore the cavities, these holes become larger, which will cause pain and
sensitivity in your teeth with infections if untreated. The dentist who removes
the decayed part and fills the hole with a suitable filling material can cure
these cavities.
Difference Between Decay and Cavity
Both are types
of dental problems that affect your teeth, and when you ignore them, they can
damage your teeth, leaving you no other option but a tooth extraction. Hence,
understanding the differences between them will help you to deal with such
dental problems with the right solution.
Symptoms
When your teeth
are affected by decay, you will notice a hole or pits in your affected tooth
with brown, black, or white spots. Apart from that, you will also feel the
sensitivity and pain in your teeth affected by decay. However, in tooth decay,
you might not notice any symptoms. You might see white, brown, or black spots
on the surface of your tooth, but if you notice sensitivity and pain, it can be
a decay.
On the other
hand, when you have a tooth cavity, along with visible holes or pits in teeth,
you will also feel the pain and sensitivity while consuming hot or cold food or
beverages. Other symptoms of tooth cavities include brown, black, or white
stains on your teeth, bad breath or an unpleasant taste. However, in
severe cases, when an infection due to a cavity causes an abscess, your mouth
becomes swollen. However, the cavities at the early stage don't have symptoms.
Causes
Because of
consuming sugar and starchy foods, the harmful bacteria in your mouth cause tooth
decay. In fact, when these bacteria feed on sugars and starches from foods and
drinks, they create the plaque which is a kind of sticky film on your teeth.
The risk factors behind tooth decay are consuming sugar and acidic food
frequently, poor hygiene, a lack of fluoride and dry mouth.
The bacteria in
plaque that produce the acids again cause cavities in the tooth. And these
bacteria become active when you consume sugary and starchy foods and beverages.
The acid attack starts creating holes in your tooth surface and then starts
eroding the tooth enamel. Not only consuming the starchy foods and drinks, but
also poor oral hygiene and inadequate exposure to fluoride.
How to Avoid?
To avoid tooth
decay, consume fewer sugary and acidic foods that are harmful to your teeth.
And most importantly, always rinse your mouth after consuming such foods or
beverages and brush twice daily, especially with fluoride toothpaste. Also,
take a balanced diet and visit best dentist in Greater Noida
regularly for routine check-ups and professional cleanings to keep your teeth
healthy.
Just like tooth
decay, to keep your teeth free from cavities, you need to avoid or limit your
sugar and acidic food intake. And also maintain your oral hygiene by rinsing
your mouth after consuming such foods, and always brush your teeth twice with
fluoride-based toothpaste. And last but not least, keep visiting your dentist
for regular checks and cleaning to remove cavities professionally.
Curable Home Remedies
To avoid tooth
decay, you can try some of the natural home remedies, like practising oil
pulling with coconut oil to remove plaque or rinsing with warm salt water to
reduce swelling. Apart from that, you can also consume guava leaves or drink
green tea, which has antibacterial properties, to get relief from tooth pain
caused by decay. And to keep your teeth healthy, add adequate calcium and
Vitamin D-rich foods to your diet.
Though cavities
are not curable with home remedies, there are some good natural remedies that
can help you keep cavities away from your teeth. You can use saltwater to
rinse your mouth or use the garlic or turmeric paste for its antibacterial
properties. Furthermore, you can also apply clove oil for numbing pain or
practice oil pulling with coconut oil to reduce bacteria causing the cavities.
But prevention is better than cure, hence, limit your sugar and starchy food
consumption and brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste.
Right Treatment
The right
treatment for tooth decay depends on the tooth condition and the severity of
decay. At the early stage of decay, you can be cured with fluoride or go
for dental fillings. While the extensive damage due to decay can be cured with
a dental procedure called a dental crown, in which a custom-fitted cap is used
to protect and restore the strength of your teeth. And in the worst conditions,
root canal treatment is one of the best dental procedures for tooth decay, and
when it also does not work, tooth extraction is the last solution.
Similarly, tooth
cavities can be treated according to the tooth condition and the severity of
the cavity. In the early stage of cavity development, you can go for fluoride
treatments, or it can be cured with fillings and crowns. But in the tooth
critically damaged by the cavities can be cured with root canal treatment, and in the
worst condition, you need to remove your damaged teeth by a tooth extraction dental
procedure.
Conclusion
Though there is
no major difference between tooth decay and cavities, both are different stages
of your teeth getting affected by the harmful bacteria. And these harmful
bacteria get triggered by consuming sugary and starchy food items and produce
the acid that causes decay and cavities.
To avoid tooth
decay and cavities, always rinse your mouth with fresh water after consuming
sugar and starch-based food items. Also, brush your teeth twice daily with
fluoride-based toothpaste and add calcium and Vitamin D-rich foods to keep your
teeth healthy. And also keep visiting your nearest dentist in P-3, Greater Noida, for regular check-ups or
cleaning and get the right treatment to cure the tooth decay and cavities.
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