January 31, 2012
What Is A Cavity?
Looking after your teeth is a important part of your overall health care plan for your body. Your teeth are useful and are needed to chew and eat your food. They also make a giant difference in the way you look, thus affecting your self confidence. When you are small, you grow in some kid teeth that last until you are about 6 to 8 years elderly. Then these teeth start to fall out and permanent teeth grow in. One time these permanent teeth grow in, they are the final teeth you will get throughout your whole life. Therefore, it is so important to take care of these permanent teeth so they don’t decay or have other issues and must be removed. Every day dental hygiene such as brushing your teeth two times a day and flossing your teeth one time a day are a great way to protect them. You will also need to visit a dentist about every 6 months so that you can have the dentist check your teeth, gums, jaw and neck and be sure everything is growing and developing properly. At this 6 month checkup you can also have your teeth cleaned and polished by a specialist called a dental hygienist. When the dentist checks your teeth with a visual examination and some x-rays to see the inside of your teeth, they might see a cavity that needs to be fixed. Let’s take a glance at what a cavity is and the way it works.
A cavity grows in your tooth when your tooth starts to decay from bacteria that assault it. This decay breaks down your tooth. If not taken care of and removed by a dentist, this cavity or decay grows bigger and bigger making a bigger and bigger hole in your tooth. This decay occurs when the bacteria that is in your mouth, which everybody naturally has, makes acids and then eats away at the enamel or outer layer of your teeth. When plaque clings to your teeth, this causes this reaction to happen. After some time, the acids continue to assault your tooth and then get to the inside parts of your tooth. This is when the decay starts. If the cavity reaches way inside the tooth where the nerve endings are, it may cause a tooth ache.
Visiting a dentist can help prevent cavities from forming on your teeth. And, in the event you do create a cavity, the dentist can get it out and fill it with another tooth-like substance and protect the remainder of your tooth.
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