Epigraph: There are no healthy people, only under-examined patients.
So today I will tell you about every dentist’s nightmare: when a chilling doubt creeps into your soul, is it really a cavity?
It’s easy to see it during an appointment in a small elegant mirror.
It’s not difficult to detect a “darkening” on a targeted X-ray image.
It’s easier if a professional informs you about it. But what if you are alone with your teeth and don’t have dental equipment or other useful inventions of mankind at hand?
Nevertheless, I can share with you the secret knowledge that allows a dentist to suspect the presence of cavities from your initial complaints or even at a glance during an introduction.
How to detect cavities without specialized equipment?
What should alert you?
1. Food getting stuck.
Have you noticed that fibrous food has started getting stuck somewhere in your mouth (although it wasn’t happening before)? The undisputed leader of getting stuck is meat! Very often these areas signal trouble.
Of course, not always do “cavity monsters” stand behind this. The cause could be an overhanging edge of an old filling, poorly restored contact between neighboring teeth, a crown needing replacement, pathological pockets due to gum inflammation around the tooth root, incorrect tooth/tooth position, and so on. But in any case, this means one thing for you: you must definitely consult a dentist, find out the cause, and try to correct it.
2. Changes in tooth color.
The tooth has slightly changed in color, standing out from its neighbors (it may have become darker, or conversely, a white spot has appeared). All this can be noticed in photos where you smile widely or during daily hygiene when looking in the mirror: examine the teeth in the back that you chew food with…
Dark streaks, brown or bright white spots (the so-called “fissures” on the chewing surface of teeth) – this is the very reason why dentists recommend visiting at least twice a year. The dentist always checks these “risk areas,” natural indentations where any sweets, caramels, and even honey easily stick. Studies have shown that bacteria love the favorable climate of these narrow crevices; they live there, happily multiply, indulging in sweets, and start their destructive activity there: enamel erosion leading to changes in tooth color. And don’t expect any mercy from them! Around the clock and tirelessly, they expand their residence; just a little negligence on your part and a casual thought like, “I’m too tired today, I’ll brush my teeth tomorrow, nothing strange”…
3. Painful sensations.
And… No, not all teeth affected by cavities hurt.
Alas and Ah! Nevertheless, paying attention to painful sensations is definitely worth it. From personal experience, I can say that cavities hurting at the neck of the tooth near the gum are very unpleasant. Most often, such pain manifests itself during tooth brushing when you touch that area with a brush.
Less commonly, unpleasant sensations may occur when consuming something sweet, but rinsing your mouth can make it go away. The same goes for cold, hot, or sour foods. Cavities are characterized by brief pain that disappears as soon as the irritant is removed. And pain from temperature stimuli occurs precisely where there is damage, not all teeth (as is the case with increased sensitivity).
4. Bad breath.
It can occur with gastrointestinal problems or chronic infections in the nose/throat/paranasal sinuses, with gum inflammation around the teeth. All these are weighty reasons to urgently take care of your health. Bad breath is insidious.
Our olfactory bulbs in the nose, with prolonged irritation, dull their sensitivity: you may stop feeling that something is wrong. But people around you will avoid you, avoid interaction, cringe from being close to you. This is extreme, of course, but you don’t have to look far for an example – homeless people are avoided not so much because of their appearance but because of their smell.
But back to cavities…
The affected area located between the teeth emits a “smell,” where food begins to get stuck, leading to inflammation of the gums. No matter how much you brush your teeth, the odor lingers because the brush simply doesn’t reach that spot. And no rinses help with this either; they only mask the issue temporarily. As long as there is a problem, the scent of microbial inflammation will accompany the host everywhere.
5. Changes in tooth structure.
The appearance of tiny holes, “roughness” of teeth, chips in tooth parts. The initially smooth enamel covering the tooth loses its properties.
You can notice this yourself: in a specific area of the tooth (where there is a problem), plaque or food starts sticking constantly. If you run your finger over this area, you’ll feel that it is “uneven” and different from neighboring teeth.
Note that I’m not talking about surfaces with bumps that we chew with, but only about areas that were always smooth, for example, those located in the smile zone.
6. X-rays.
For the most meticulous readers. Do you have X-rays on file? The ones taken during a dental visit? They may have been given to you in hand or sent electronically. Cavities can be seen as dark spots, as if someone had taken a “bite” out of the white tooth from the side, leaving it dark, lacking in that area… It’s like in children’s coloring books where you want to fill in the missing part with the right color…
With any suspicion, you can always ask your dentist during a consultation; it’s better to address any doubts and entrust the decision to a specialist!
Yes. Even if nothing bothers you, still come to the dentist every six months because sometimes symptoms can be subtle, not very noticeable, and you might simply overlook these details.
All these “first timid signs” pass by amidst other more pressing events. Six months are not chosen randomly: even if you missed something, the dentist has time to rectify the situation with minimal losses. The longer you delay thinking that “nothing seems to hurt,” the more serious damage bacteria can cause to the tooth. And believe me, no matter how good new technologies are, it’s hard to find anything more perfect than your own teeth.
Therefore, my main advice: the earlier the treatment begins, the less intervention from the dentist, thus making it more comfortable and peaceful for you.