Cavities

Cavities are small holes in the enamel of your teeth that form over time due to poor oral hygiene, high sugar intake from snacks and drinks, food particles lodged between the teeth, bacteria in the mouth, and plaque. Left untreated, the cavity will become larger and destroy other layers of the teeth, leading to pain, infection, abscesses, and loss of teeth.

A cavity can easily be detected during your annual check-up. However, a cavity can form between visits, and while at first you may not have any symptoms, as the cavity grows, you may experience the following discomforts:

1. Toothache, from mild to severe
2. High sensitivity to hot or cold
3. Pain when you eat sweets
4. Pain when you apply pressure to the tooth

A cavity may also be visible when inspecting the painful tooth:

5. Visible hole in the tooth
6. Coloured stains on the tooth, usually brown or black

The best prevention is brushing and flossing daily, and visiting our clinic for regular teeth cleaning and check-ups.

If you haven’t made an appointment with our clinic over the last year, it is time to call us so that we can detect and treat your budding cavities before they become problematic.