Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Lincolnshire IL
“You have a cavity.” That’s not a sentence that anyone wants to hear, but the odds are that you’ll face tooth decay at some point in your life, even if you are diligent about your dental hygiene. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that dental caries, or cavities, have affected nine of every 10 Americans over the age of 20. In this article, your family dentists at Lake Forest Smiles will look at why people get cavities and how we can prevent more cavities in the future.
How do cavities form?
When you get a cavity, it develops after bacteria attack your enamel—the protective outer layer of your tooth structure. These harmful bacteria feed off of the sugar and carbs in your diet and excrete acid that wears away at your enamel. If this deterioration creates a hole in your tooth enamel, then you have a cavity. The more sugar and acid in your diet, the more likely that a cavity will form.
Treatment Options for Cavities
Learning you have a cavity might spoil your day, but it doesn’t have to ruin your oral health. Mild to moderate cavities are treatable. For small areas of decay, the best course of action is to apply a dental filling. At Lake Forest Smiles, we work with tooth-colored fillings. Made of a composite resin with an interior of glass or quartz filler, these restorations are less invasive, metal-free, and more environmentally-friendly than their traditional metallic counterparts. For larger areas of decay that may be compromising the survival of your tooth, your Lincolnshire dentists can place a crown, which replaces the entire exterior of a tooth while preserving its valuable interior structure, including the dental nerve. We use CAD technology to produce our crowns in a single appointment, making this process more convenient and comfortable than ever for our patients.
How can you prevent cavities?
For the most part, prevention of tooth decay starts at home. Follow American Dental Association recommendations when it comes to dental care: brush your teeth twice per day, floss once each day, and visit your Lake Bluff dentist once every six months for a check-up that includes a professional dental cleaning and an oral examination. Failing to keep up with this regimen raises your risk of cavities, as well as gum disease.
Lake Forest Smiles also offers a wide array of services in the area of preventive care, which seeks to detect and treat problems with your oral health before they develop tangible symptoms. Our preventive treatments include fluoride treatments, the prescription of MI Paste, oral cancer screenings, and more. Certain preventive care procedures may seem expensive and may not be covered by your dental insurance plan, but when you consider the time and money required to repair dental problems that get out of hand, we think these treatments are worth it!
Comprehensive Dentistry in Lake Forest
Whether you have an existing cavity that needs to be treated or you want to raise your overall level of defense against the threat of tooth decay, the dentists and oral health professionals at Lake Forest Smiles are here to help. We’re also committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Lincolnshire, even amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more by calling (847) 234-4800 to schedule your consultation today.