No Pain but I Have a Cavity?

 Question: During my last visit to a dentist, the doctor told me that I have a cavity. I don’t see a cavity or have pain so it’s hard to believe.  How can it be possible?
While the visible areas of teeth provide easiest ways to see that you have cavities, sometimes the cavity can form inside the tooth or the side of the tooth that’s not detectable by naked eyes.  Below are some cases where the cavities may be hiding and why you may not be feeling any pain even though you have a cavity:
1. Cavity forming between teeth:  Brushing alone cannot get to the areas between the teeth, so we have to floss as well to clean those areas.  If flossing has not been your regular routine or have been flossing incorrectly, you may have some cavities lurking around.  Usually, these cavities can only be seen by x-rays. If untreated, these cavities will eat away at the dentin and eventually reach the nerve resulting in pain.
2. Cavity forming inside the pits and fissures:  Our teeth have grooves and pits that look like narrow valleys. When the food/bacteria get captured in these pits/valleys and aren’t removed promptly, they will start to work their way deeper into the valley.  Sometimes, they can leave the valley and the pits intact and spread only within inside (underneath) of the tooth making the surface seem absolutely normal (perhaps just some stains showing). As such, these would need to be detected by dental x-rays and/or by a special dental instrument that the dentist uses for identifying cavities.
3. I don’t feel pain but dentist tells me I have a cavity: Usually, if you are having pain (toothache), that means the nerve inside a tooth has been compromised.  Some small cavities may not have reached the nerve yet, so you won’t feel any pain. So when a dentist detects a cavity that you are not experiencing any pain with, then you are in luck as that can simply be repaired with small fillings more often than not.  However, untreated, cavity can become large on the tooth or inside the tooth eventually reaching the center of the tooth into the nerve chamber.  That’s when you may start to feel pain
With any cavities, complete removal of cavities is required to ensure they don’t cause additional decay and/or infections.  During this removal, if a cavity is too large or too close to the nerve chamber, a root canal and crown may be required to restore that tooth.
For all your cavity prevention, detection, and/or treatments, be sure to check out Noa Dental in Valencia.  Noa Dental offers a wide array of services and treatments available to help your teeth stay healthy, strong, and beautiful.
Please call us at 661-857-7662 for a free consultation or visit us at http://noadental.net for more information.