9 Common Signs and Symptoms of a Tooth Cavity

Reena was a cheerful child who, like any other kid of her age was fond of eating chocolates and sweets. One day during a birthday party of her best friend, Reena experienced extreme pain in her tooth when she was trying to eat her friend’s birthday cake. She couldn’t enjoy gorging upon all the goodies served at the birthday party. 

There are many children like Reena who face similar symptoms of the cavity in their teeth. It won’t be wrong to call tooth cavity one of the national dental problems especially amongst kids, who lack oral hygiene.

Let us dig deeper to understand all about tooth decay and learn some of the common tooth decay symptoms. 

What is a Tooth Cavity?

A cavity in a tooth is damage done to the tooth due to bacteria. When a tooth cavity takes place, the uppermost layer of the tooth called enamel is punctured and often the bacteria reach the inner layer called dentin. When this happens, a person feels many symptoms of a tooth cavity like toothache, holes, bad breath, and many more. At first, you may not detect any of these symptoms of a cavity, but these are felt as soon as the cavity becomes bigger and the bacteria is reaching the roots of your tooth.

What Causes Cavities in Tooth?

At the core of a tooth, cavity is often bad oral hygiene which leads to bacterial growth inside the mouth and teeth. Although children are more prone to face tooth cavities due to poor oral hygiene, even adults can have them due to several reasons. One of the main causes of tooth decay or cavity is when food debris is left inside your mouth, it allows bacteria to feed on it and results in tooth cavities.

Some of the common risk factors of a tooth cavity are:

• Poor brushing
• Sweets and chewing gums
• Lack of fluoride
• Wrong eating habits
• Sugary foods and beverages
• Dry mouth
• Acid reflux

Common Symptoms of Cavity

Let us understand the main tooth decay symptoms:

Dark Spots on Teeth: The most common symptoms of cavity is when you notice visible discolouration or dark spots on your teeth. These spots occur when your tooth is developing a cavity and as a result, it starts staining. With time these spots largen up, as the cavity increases in size. 

Craters or Holes on Teeth: Similarly, holes and craters on your teeth are visible tooth decay symptoms. This happens when bacteria present on your teeth has eaten most of it leaving behind holes and craters. Such teeth with holes and craters are often treated with a dental filling, where the hole is largened and then refilled with a new filling after removing the cavity.

Tooth Sensitivity: When you have a tooth cavity, the enamel of your tooth is punctured and as a result, you often feel sensitivity in your tooth. Do, book a dental appointment with your dentist if you experience tooth sensitivity. This will help you get treatment for your tooth cavity but will also make way for an apt solution to deal with your tooth sensitivity. Your dentist will prescribe you some medicines or toothpaste for instant relief from the tooth sensitivity so that you can eat and drink comfortably.

Difficulty Chewing and Biting Food: Difficulty in chewing and biting food is one of the tooth decay symptoms that anyone might experience. When you feel extreme pain the moment you put pressure on your teeth to bite or chew something, it is most likely due to tooth decay or cavity. Go get a dental check-up when such a problem persists.

Consistent Toothache: Toothache can be one of the early signs of tooth decay. In the early phase, there can be slight discomfort when eating something, but gradually as the cavity becomes big, the toothache is severe and persistent. Your cavity-infected tooth will not let you talk or eat anything, such would be the toothache often linked with a tooth cavity.

Bad Breath: Experiencing bad and intolerable breath from your mouth? Then, this could be one of the symptoms of cavity in your teeth. Remember, that cavities in teeth are a result of bacterial infection and when bacteria make a way in your tooth, you will surely experience some sort of bad breath or an unpleasant taste all day long in your mouth. Make sure to get a dental check-up to get a cure for bad breath resulting due to a tooth cavity.

Frequent Food Trapped between Teeth: One of the common tooth decay under bridge symptoms is when you experience the problem of food trapping between your teeth. When this happens quite often, there is a possible chance of a tooth cavity under your bridge. You need to go for a dental check-up if this problem persists and even if you can hardly detect any other sign of a cavity.

Swollen or Bleeding Gums: One of the early signs of tooth decay is when you notice some sort of swelling on your gums. In some cases, the gums even start bleeding hinting at a possible tooth cavity for its core reason. Bleeding gums are often the sign of gingivitis but it may otherwise be a sign of a possible cavity just near the gum line.

Loose Dental Fillings: Lastly, when you have had dental fillings for your previous tooth cavities, and you now experience something loosening right there. Be cautious, it could be a sign of further tooth decay or cavity. Your tooth has been damaged by bacterial infection, and as a result, your existing dental filling has loosened. 

Conclusion

8 out of 10 children are most likely suffering from some of the other type of tooth cavity. Detecting the early signs of tooth decay is essential for timely dental treatment. Whenever you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms of a tooth cavity in your child or yourself, don’t take it lightly. If left untreated for a long time, dental cavities can lead to complete tooth loss. Consulting a dentist should be your priority after catching symptoms of cavity in your teeth.