In situations where you go in to your dentist’s office to have an aching tooth examined, you can expect to learn you need restorative dental care of some kind. However, you may go in for a routine dental checkup confident that everything is in order, only to learn you have a cavity that needs to be treated. So what happens when you are confronted with a problem you were unaware of? One advantage to having regular dental exams is that your dentist is able to find problems in their early stages. You may not like hearing that you have a cavity, but that early detection means treatment before decay can worsen, and cause more trouble for your oral health.
Treating A Cavity With A Dental Filling
When a cavity is caught in time, your dentist can spare more of your healthy enamel, and take care of your tooth with a dental filling. The filling, made from composite resin, looks enough like your surrounding tooth structure to blend in with your tooth, and your smile. The material essentially lives up to its name and “fills” in the area of your enamel lost to decay.
Early Detection Can Stop Problems From Becoming Serious
Learning about a cavity during a checkup is not exactly good news, but consider the alternative: What happens if you have a cavity, and do not attend a routine checkup? Tooth decay can escape your notice until it spreads to the point of causing discomfort. You may not seek the help you need until your cavity can only be properly eliminated with a root canal treatment.
