Dental fillings are one of the most conservative dental restorations available. When you have a small cavity, modern fillings preserve your tooth and help seal out new areas of decay. They’re also custom-matched to your natural smile!
If you haven’t ever gotten a filling or think you might need one, here are five signs that it’s time to call our Phoenix dentist:
Food Keeps Catching in One Area
Cavities are physical holes inside of your tooth. Depending on the size of the opening in your enamel, you may experience food impaction into the cavity every time you eat. The gums next to that area might also start to get inflamed or tender because of the constant irritation. You might find yourself always having to reach for the floss or a toothpick. Food can also get trapped between teeth if you have gum disease, so it’s best to go ahead and plan a checkup if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while.
Floss is Shredding Around a Tooth
When you slide a strand of floss down in-between your teeth, is there an area that tends to get caught? Or, perhaps the floss starts to spread apart (or even break) every time you clean there? There’s a good chance that the shredding is because of a sharp edge along the perimeter of a cavity, or something like an old filling. Be sure to let our Phoenix dentist know about it during your next dental checkup. We may want to take a small X-ray to see down in-between the teeth to rule out anything serious.
You Feel Sweet Sensitivity When Eating/Drinking
Sweet sensitivity is almost always a red flag for tooth decay. But you don’t have to necessarily be eating candy to experience tooth sensitivity. Sweet irritation can come from anything like your favorite coffee creamer or a sports drink to fruit juice and diet soda. Most of the time it will be a liquid since it can soak down into any area of your tooth.
Something Feels “Off” When You’re Biting Down
Your mouth is extremely sensitive. When something is off by even a millimeter or so, your bite will be able to tell. Sometimes the only symptom that something is wrong with a tooth is that your bite feels “off” whenever you’re eating. The sensation will generally come from a certain area of your mouth; you might not even be able to pinpoint exactly which tooth it is.
Not Every Cavity is Obvious
One of the most important things you need to know about cavities is that tooth decay doesn’t always hurt. You can’t always see a “hole” in your tooth. By the time you do, the decay is severe, and you might need a root canal instead of a filling. Fortunately, most cavities can be caught early, when a modest filling is more than enough to repair it.
If you’re experiencing any of these cavity symptoms, schedule an exam with our Phoenix dentist, Dr. Babak Behbahani, today.
