To solve a mystery, little clues add up to put together a more complete picture and indicate the truth. Sometimes, when it comes to your dental or general health, you have to play detective to figure out when something is wrong. You may have certain symptoms that point to a specific problem. Once you understand the clues, you can get the proper diagnosis and treatment and then feel confident in your smile again. However, these types of puzzles can be challenging to solve without advanced training. For instance, how can you identify a cavity between your teeth? Keep reading to learn about the clues and the best resource for getting to the bottom of this mystery.
Clue #1: Tooth Sensitivity or Pain
If you suddenly experience oral sensitivity to hot, cold, or sugary drinks or foods, an area of decay may have formed, triggering the nerves in your teeth. Especially if one or two teeth specifically don’t feel comfortable, you may have a cavity between them. However, be aware that sensitivity can indicate other issues like enamel wear, gum recession, abscess, and more. More investigation is necessary to determine the cause.
Pain is your body’s way of making a problem obvious. In particular, dental pain typically comes from a cavity that has eroded your enamel and penetrated deeper into the tooth’s inner layers. Should your teeth ever hurt, you should seek professional treatment immediately because the problem will only get worse as time passes.
Clue #2: Black or Dark Spot Between Your Teeth
How often do you take a good look inside your own mouth? Other than flashing a smile in the mirror, you probably don’t inspect your teeth closely on a regular basis, which can make it difficult to see whether you’ve developed a small cavity. However, quickly checking your teeth now and then may reveal a developing problem. If you notice a dark spot form on your teeth, particularly between them, this color difference clearly points to decay in this hard-to-reach space.
Best Clue: Your Dentist Tells and Shows You with an X-ray
Even if you do try to examine your mouth by yourself with a dental mirror, you probably can’t see every angle clearly, especially behind your teeth. Your dentist may not even see the early signs of a cavity with the naked eye because it can be subtle at first. Plus, tight spaces can shelter decay from easy view! Using digital X-rays, your dentist can see weak enamel in hidden areas like between teeth. Once your dentist analyzes these X-rays, they can show you where the decay is and take care of it as soon as possible with a filling or crown, stopping the problem from spreading, endangering your smile more, or causing you unnecessary pain.
Preventing and Stopping Cavities Between Teeth
Obviously, your at-home dental hygiene routine plays an important role in keeping cavity-causing bacteria from sticking to and eroding your teeth, but as an imperfect human, you may miss some spots here and there. Brushing only addresses visible surfaces, which leaves the small areas between your teeth unclean. Flossing clears out these tiny gaps, but over time, plaque can build up. As a result, regular visits with your dentist can not only give you professional-level polishing, preventing future cavities, but also give you an opportunity to fix decay before it causes a lot of harm to your teeth.
You don’t have to solve the mystery on your own! Paying attention to the clues your mouth gives you, maintaining your oral hygiene, and regularly working with a trained “investigator” can ensure that any decay between teeth is quickly caught and treated.
About the Practice
Instead of having to visit multiple dental practices for complete treatment, Beach Dental offers a wide menu of services in-house. Including routine dental checkups and cleanings as well as advanced restorative services like crowns, dentures, and dental implants, other procedures like Invisalign, veneers, and cosmetic improvements are performed by Dr. Jason Parli and Dr. Alexis Gersten for patients coming from the Westhampton Beach, East Quogue, East Moriches, Manorville, and Westhampton areas. If you suspect you have a cavity anywhere in your teeth or would like to avoid on, schedule an appointment with us by calling our office at 631-325-0731 or visiting us online.