There are many reasons to treat tooth decay as soon as it develops. With prompt treatment, it can often be stopped while it’s still relatively minor, and treatment may consist of simply cleaning and filling the cavity that has formed. As a progressive concern, the damage that tooth decay causes to your natural tooth structure will continue to grow worse the longer it’s left untreated. If you hesitate to address it, or fail to detect it before it becomes severe, then treating your tooth decay could be a more serious concern.

The process behind a tooth decaying

Tooth decay is a process that starts with oral bacteria eroding the enamel that surrounds your teeth. When this erosion is significant enough and the enamel becomes compromised, it can allow harmful oral bacteria to reach and infect the main tooth structure underneath it. This is the beginning of tooth decay and cavity formation, both of which grow increasingly more severe over time. The cavity, or hole, will grow larger and the infection will erode more of your tooth’s structure, making it increasingly more complex to treat the longer it progresses.

What it means when tooth decay is severe

In its mild and moderate stages, tooth decay’s impact can be minimized to the main part of your tooth’s crown structure. This structure, known as dentin, surrounds the inner pulp chamber of the tooth, where the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels reside. In severe cases of tooth decay, the infection in your tooth’s dentist can progress enough to reach this pulp chamber and threaten or infect the nerves and tissues inside of it. From the pulp chamber, these tissues travel through your tooth’s root canal and into your dental ridge, which can also provide a path for the severe tooth infection to become a much more complicated concern if it progresses much further.

How to save the tooth by removing the decay

At any stage of tooth decay, the goal of your treatment is to remove the infection from your tooth and, if possible, save the healthy, natural tooth structure that still remains. When a tooth is severely decayed, a significant portion of this structure may be compromised, as well as the tissues within the tooth’s pulp and root canal. Saving the tooth means removing the decayed tissues and tooth structure from within the pulp and root canal of the tooth. Then, your dentist can seal the inner chambers with a biocompatible material to protect them and to restore the tooth’s structural integrity.

Learn more about treating severe tooth decay

Tooth decay might take some time to become severe, but once it does, treating it as soon as possible could be essential to saving the tooth and preserving your smile. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling the Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX, today at (936) 441-4600.