The Value of a Dental Check up : Early detection of tooth decay
When most people think about a dental check up, their impression is that the dentist is looking for cavities or holes in teeth. A comment I hear frequently is, “I can’t feel any holes in my teeth” or “I am not having any pain so I don’t really need a check up.” This statement highlights two misconceptions.
The first is that tooth decay is an actual hole in the tooth. Tooth decay is a bacterial infection of the tooth. Bacteria use sugar to produce acid. The acid softens the outer enamel & allows the bacteria to enter the tooth. A well advanced infection can be present without any noticeable cavitation of the tooth surface.