Can You Cure A Cavity Without A Filling?
Many people wonder if it is possible to fix a cavity without doing a filling. As with many things in dentistry, the answer is a big “It depends”.
The good news is that there are some situations where a cavity is somewhat reversible. The bad news is that the solution isn’t so simple as just taking a pill . It takes some behavior change and work!
The one specific situation in which cavities are reversible are early stage cavities where the structure of the tooth hasn’t started to break down. Once there is an actual hole, inside or out of the tooth, it has to be fixed with a filling. Many times these early stage cavities will look like a bright white spot on the tooth. This indicates that the minerals have started to be removed from the enamel layer of the tooth. In order to “fix” this cavity you have to get your mouth environment to a state that promotes healing of the tooth. This healing process is known as remineralization. Instead of minerals being taken away, they are added back to the demineralized area of enamel. Usually if you’ve developed an early stage cavity, you are creating an environment in your mouth that promotes the opposite.
So here is what you need to do…
- Avoid sugary and acidic drinks altogether. Water is your friend here. While you can avoid developing cavities when you drink these occasionally, it is really difficult to remineralize a tooth while doing this.
- Limit snacking as much as possible. Remember it isn’t as much about how much sugar or acid you have, but how often.
- Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes. You want to remove all the plaque on your teeth. This plaque keeps your tooth from being able to take up minerals as well as providing an environment for bacteria to product more acid.
- Use a fluoride containing mouthrinse once a day, at a time separated from brushing by at least 30 minutes.
- Ask your dentist for a prescription strength toothpaste with a higher level of fluoride. This will help remineralize the tooth faster.
Do these things and you stand a good chance of either halting the progression of the cavity entirely or even reversing it.
