Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems we deal with. Easy to miss, too. It rarely hurts early on, so a fair few patients are caught off guard when we spot it at a routine check-up.
Ignore it and it just carries on. Enamel goes first. After that the softer layer underneath, and before long there’s a cavity, maybe toothache, maybe an infection. So it pays to know the early signs of tooth decay. A small filling is a lot easier than the alternatives.
What Is Tooth Decay?
Your dentist might call it dental caries. Same thing. Most people say tooth decay, or cavities once there’s a hole.
It all starts with plaque. You know that fuzzy feeling on your teeth first thing in the morning? That’s plaque, and it’s full of bacteria. Give them sugar and they make acid, which pulls minerals out of your enamel bit by bit. One fizzy drink isn’t going to wreck anything. Years of it, sip after sip, wears the surface down until it gives way and a hole forms.
And it’s not only kids. Tooth decay in adults is really common.
What Causes Tooth Decay?
Sugar is the obvious one. The bit people don’t expect is timing. Eat a bag of sweets in one go and your teeth get one acid attack. Pick at the same bag from lunch till teatime and they get a string of them, one after another.
Other things raise your risk as well. Brushing irregularly, or with a toothpaste that has no fluoride in it. Never cleaning between your teeth so plaque just sits there for days on end. A dry mouth. Long gaps between check-ups. Teeth with existing damage, or awkward spots plaque loves to hide in, are more likely to decay too.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Tooth Decay?
Early on? Often nothing at all. That’s the frustrating part, and it’s why we keep banging on about check-ups.
Once decay takes hold you might get:
- white, brown or black marks on a tooth
- a hole you can see, or catch with your tongue
- a twinge from something hot, cold or sweet
- toothache
- a chip or a bit of tooth breaking away
- pain or swelling round the tooth if infection has set in
Few people get the lot. How do you know if you have a cavity, then? Honestly, you sometimes won’t. Decay tucked between two teeth can go unnoticed for ages, and we might need a proper look or dental X-rays to find it.
What Does Tooth Decay Look Like?
Depends when you catch it. A white or pale brown patch is typical early on. Later, darker. Eventually maybe an actual hole.
Please don’t try to diagnose it with a mirror and your phone torch. Decay often starts in the grooves of your back teeth or in between them, spots you physically can’t see. A brown mark might be decay. Might just be a stain. Hard to say without training and the right kit.
What Are the Stages of Tooth Decay?
Nobody wakes up with a cavity out of nowhere. It builds, slowly:
| Stage | What’s happening | What you might notice | What usually helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early tooth decay | Minerals being lost from the enamel surface | Often nothing, or a white spot | Fluoride, better brushing, cutting down sugar |
| Enamel damage | The enamel starts to break down | A mark or damaged area, few symptoms | Dental assessment and advice |
| Cavity | A hole has formed in the tooth | Visible hole, sensitivity | Usually a filling |
| Deeper decay | Decay reaching the dentine, then the pulp | Toothache, possible swelling or infection | Root canal treatment or extraction |
1. Early tooth decay
Minerals start leaving the enamel. No hole yet. No pain. Honestly the best stage to catch it, since prevention alone can be enough.
2. Enamel damage
The enamel starts breaking down. Maybe a mark.
3. A cavity develops
There’s a proper hole now. You can’t brush it away, no matter how hard you scrub. Most of the time it’s a filling (or something similar) to stop it growing.
4. Deeper decay
This is usually where it starts to hurt. Beneath the enamel is dentine, and beneath that the pulp, with the nerves and blood vessels in it. Get decay down there and a mild twinge can become proper toothache. Infection’s more likely too.
Can Early Tooth Decay Be Reversed?
Sometimes. If you catch it early enough.
Fluoride is the thing here. It helps enamel take minerals back in and toughen up, and that’s partly why it’s in your toothpaste. If you get decay a lot, your dentist might suggest extra fluoride treatment on top.
Once it’s a cavity, no. The bit of tooth that’s gone stays gone. It has to be repaired.
How Is Tooth Decay Treated?
Really comes down to how far along it is.
Very early? Possibly nothing more than fluoride, and being a bit stricter with brushing and sugar. A cavity usually gets a filling. Decay that’s got into the pulp normally means root canal treatment if we’re going to save the tooth. Now and then a tooth is just too far gone to rebuild. Taking it out is often the sensible thing then.
At Droitwich Dental Studio we fix cavities with fillings. Sealing the damaged bit helps stop the decay creeping further in. A bit of tenderness afterwards isn’t unusual, and we’ve covered whether a tooth hurting after a filling is normal in a separate post.
How Can You Prevent Tooth Decay?
Not every dental problem is preventable. Tooth decay mostly is, or at least you can stack the odds a long way in your favour.
Two habits matter more than anything. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth daily with floss or interdental brushes.
After that:
- go easy on sugary snacks and drinks, and especially on grazing
- turn up to your check-ups
- if you’ve been told you’re higher risk, follow the advice you were given
- don’t brush off early signs like sensitivity or a new mark
Most decay we find at check-ups gets sorted with a filling at most. Leave it a couple of years and it’s often a different conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tooth Decay
Can tooth decay be reversed?
Very early decay, sometimes, with fluoride and better cleaning. Not once a cavity has formed.
What does a cavity look like?
Often a hole or a damaged patch, sometimes with white, brown or black marks around it. Ones between teeth can be almost impossible to spot yourself. An exam is the only reliable way to know for sure.
Does tooth decay always hurt?
Nope. Loads of early decay is completely painless. It tends to start hurting once it’s deeper.
Can a cavity heal itself?
A hole won’t fill itself back in, sadly. Decay that hasn’t got to that point yet can sometimes be reversed with good preventive care.
Why do I keep getting cavities?
Normally more than one thing. Sugar, and how often you have it, is usually top of the list. Missing the gaps between your teeth doesn’t help. Nor does a dry mouth, or putting off check-ups. Next time you’re in, ask us to go through your risk factors and we’ll tell you straight what’s worth changing.
What happens if tooth decay is left untreated?
It won’t stop on its own. Eventually it can reach the pulp, and that’s when things get painful. Infection or a dental abscess can follow. By then you might be looking at root canal treatment, or losing the tooth altogether.
When Should You See a Dentist About Tooth Decay?
Toothache. Sensitivity that hangs around. A hole, a dark mark, pain when you eat. Any of those, get booked in.
Waiting for pain is a mistake. Early decay often doesn’t hurt, and the earlier we find it the more likely it’s a simple job.
Something not feeling right? Give Droitwich Dental Studio a ring on 01905 797733 or send us a message through the contact page. We’ll have a look and talk you through what we’d suggest.
