If you need restorative dental work performed, seek treatment sooner, not later. When you wait to seek treatment, a problem has more time to grow. If you put it off for too long, a cavity can start to attack the living tissue housed in your tooth. This can be painful, and will require a root canal to treat. On the other hand, if you are quick to make an appointment, you can have a cavity removed before it causes too much trouble. If the cavity is caught in time, your tooth can be restored with a filling.

Not Every Cavity Can Be Fixed With A Filling

A filling can return your tooth to good form, unless too much of its structure has been lost. It is possible for your tooth to need more protection than a filling can provide. To stop the spread of decay, your dentist has to excise all infected material from your tooth. The amount of material lost to this treatment will determine how your tooth will be restored. If you want to better your odds of only needing a filling, you should keep up with regular dental appointments. You may not have painful symptoms when a cavity is small, but your dentist can spot the problem while inspecting your teeth.

Treatment Options For Advanced Cavities

A root canal is a procedure where your dentist accesses the living tissue of your tooth, to remove an infection. This can be the last viable treatment option before having to extract the tooth. To ensure that it is strong enough after the procedure, you can have your tooth covered with a dental crown.