Cavities are one of the topics that most people have ample knowledge of. A cavity starts off as a small pit or a black dot on teeth. The spot you see is on the enamel and may go in deeper if not taken care of immediately; that’s when cavities hurt.
Do Cavities Always Hurt?
The cavities or holes, whatever you call them, hurt when they surpass the surface level. During stage 1 early cavity days, the hole in the tooth will merely look like a dot and won’t cause any trouble. Moreover, it may go undetected even in some cases if the emergence is not visible enough.
Why do Cavities Hurt Badly?
Pain is common when your tooth starts to decay. However, it may not hurt in the beginning but takes an ugly turn as the stages progress.
The question still remains, why? What is the trigger point of pain? Here’s your answer.
Cavities are holes that rise on the outermost layer of your teeth, i.e., enamel. It is made up of minerals and not “alive” in a sense which is the main reason the pain is not felt. Once a cavity progresses and moves into deeper layers with nerve endings, sharp zaps of pain are felt.
Occasional Sensitivity
What makes one aware of a cavity on the tooth? At first, you will feel a sudden sensation after eating anything sweet, hot, cold, or acidic. This is an alarm for the patients that they might have cavities making their teeth hurt. In the early stages, the pain is not that severe and may not trigger every time while eating or drinking.
Sharp Pain Impulse While Eating
Once the cavity surpasses the superficial layer, sharp stabbing pain whenever they bite down and chew is common.
Constant Discomfort
In some span of time, your tooth will hurt due to cavities all the time. Moreover, you may find swelling or redness around the gums. Eating, sleeping, drinking, everything will be a tedious task.
What Does A Cavity Look Like On Teeth?
It is common not to understand what you have, a cavity vs. stain on the tooth, since their visual appearance in the begging is same. So, is there a way to distinguish them? What do cavities look like?
Cavities look like small pits or holes on the tooth. When the tooth decay is in the initial stages, like early stage 1, it looks like a small dot that causes no
pain. Later on, it grows big and causes discomfort.
As opposed to a stain, cavities are localized. They grow in the same spot size-wise; however, a stain is more a general shade change on the tooth surface.
Final Take Out
Now, you know when cavities hurt, the stage, and how pain is related to their emergency. If you want more information or to get your oral cavity checked, feel free to contact the dentists from Lone Star Dental at (281) 233-0333.