Decay removed and the tooth rebuilt, ideally before it ever reaches the nerve.
Overview
A cavity is a hole in the tooth caused by acid from the bacteria in plaque dissolving the enamel. It starts invisibly, does not hurt at first, and only announces itself once it is deep enough to reach the nerve.
Treatment means removing the decayed tissue and rebuilding the tooth with a filling. Caught early it is a twenty-minute appointment.
Suitability
If one of these suits you better than a filling, we will say so at your consultation — including when the right answer is to do nothing for now.
Benefits
Stops the decay progressing toward the nerve
Ends sensitivity and food trapping
Composite bonds to the tooth, so less healthy structure is removed than with old amalgam
Invisible once done
After treatment
Who will treat you
MDS · MNDC (New Zealand) · MADC (Australia) · PGDAI (CIIOMFI, France) · Fellow ICOI (USA)
Dr. G. Vijay Srinivas is an Oral & Maxillofacial Pathologist and Implant Dentistry practitioner with more than 35 years of clinical experience, and the founder of AP Superspeciality Dental Hospitals.
Full profileWhere
Questions
Only at the very earliest stage. If the enamel has demineralised into a white spot but has not yet broken through, fluoride and better hygiene can genuinely remineralise it. Once an actual hole has formed, the tissue is gone — it will not regrow, and it will only get bigger.
Shallow ones often need no anaesthetic at all. Deeper ones are numbed first, so you should feel pressure and vibration but not pain. Mild cold sensitivity for a few days afterwards is normal.
Almost certainly yes. Pain is a late signal — by the time a cavity hurts, it is usually close to the nerve. Most cavities we fill are found on X-ray in teeth that feel completely fine.
Composite fillings typically 5 to 10 years, inlays 10 to 15. Location, size, your bite and your hygiene all matter. They are not permanent — expect to have them replaced at some point, and each replacement is a little larger than the last.
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, clean between the teeth daily, and — the one most people miss — reduce how often you eat sugar rather than how much. Every sugar exposure starts an acid attack lasting about 20 minutes; six sweet teas a day means six attacks. Six-monthly check-ups catch what is left.
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