If you’ve ever experienced a cavity, you already know how painful and inconvenient it can be. However, you may not be aware of exactly what it is and why it hurts. By learning more about these oral health issues, you can better protect yourself from them in the future and avoid emergency trips to the dentist.

What Are Cavities?

Cavities are areas where decay has developed on your teeth, often creating a hole. They're formed when your saliva mixes with particles left from the food you eat to produce plaque, which contains bacteria. If the plaque isn't brushed away, the bacteria eat any sugar that accumulates in your mouth and create acid that coats your teeth, damaging the enamel.

Left untreated, cavities continue eating away at your teeth until they become highly sensitive to pressure, impact, and extreme temperatures. Eventually, the teeth may decay so much that they fall out, kill the tooth roots, or damage your gums, possibly leading to more infections.

Cavities can only be resolved by dentists, who are trained in removing the decayed material and filling the holes to help your teeth function normally again.

How Can You Prevent Them?

A little plaque is inevitable, but you can keep the bacteria from creating acid by minimizing your sugar consumption. Avoid candies, cookies, pastries, soft drinks, fruit juices, and anything else loaded with sugar, and also limit your intake of white bread, pasta, crackers, or rice. Even some fruits are high in sugar, so don’t eat them in excess.

Alternatively, cheese and other dairy products naturally combat cavities, making them great dietary choices. Water also keeps your mouth hydrated and washes bacteria, sugar, and food particles away, which is essential for preventing cavities.

Besides this, brush your teeth for two minutes twice daily, and consider adding antibacterial mouthwash to your routine. Also, make an appointment with your dentist every six months for a teeth cleaning and oral exam to get rid of plaque and tartar before they have a chance to encourage cavity formation.

To find a dentist who will help you live cavity-free, visit Richard W Dycus DDS in Cookeville. He’s been providing compassionate and thorough general dentistry services to central Tennessee for more than 30 years, so he’ll know exactly how to keep your mouth healthy. If a decayed tooth can’t be saved, he can also perform a tooth extraction and fasten an implant in its place. Book an appointment today by calling (931) 528-7977 or filling out a form online.