Did you know there are five distinct stages of tooth decay? And, that in the first stage of decay, you can actually take steps to reverse the progression of the disease? Indeed, it’s true. In the first stage of decay, whether you’re a child or an adult, the application of fluoride via fluoride treatments, your toothpaste and even the local water supply can stop a cavity from penetrating through the enamel and reaching its second stage. Even the saliva in your mouth and the foods you eat help to re-mineralize a tooth in jeopardy. But that’s just the first stage! What about the rest? Understanding how a cavity progresses can assist you in preventing each successive stage from occurring. There’s always a lot going on in that mouth!
According to the National Institutes of Health, the most prevalent health condition after the common cold is tooth decay. It’s far more than likely that if you haven’t already had a cavity, you will develop at least one in your lifetime.
Most of you have already experienced the new state of the art imaging systems we employ in our practice at CrossKeys Dental in Fairport, NY. Many of us are old enough to remember having the dental staff put little film packets in our mouth and take pictures that the dentist would look at to detect cavities and other problems. From those tiny films, the diagnosis and treatment decisions were decided upon. Now, the images are displayed on a huge monitor where we can all see them together and share in the decisions. That alone is worth the change from film to digital systems, but there is much more...
