What to do if you have tooth decay at the age of 20

In the minds of most adults, children are more likely to suffer from tooth decay, so parents often urge their children to brush their teeth and clean their mouths on time. They may even not dare to let their children eat any sweets every day. Even if they do, they can only eat a little. Tooth decay can occur at the age of 20. Tooth decay is caused by these problems.

Teeth can suffer from tooth tissue defects due to a variety of reasons, such as caries, tooth fractures, tooth tissue collapse, etc. Because they have no repair function and are indispensable tissue organs of the human body, people have invented artificial repair methods to maintain or restore the normal appearance and normal function of teeth, which is called tooth filling.

How do I know if I need a filling?

Regular oral examinations can enable dentists to detect potential tooth decay in a timely manner. Dentists will use a small mirror to examine the surface of each tooth. Professional examinations can save affected teeth in time to avoid serious losses from tooth extraction.

If any abnormalities are found, they will be further examined with special instruments. Your dentist may also take X-rays of your entire mouth or just parts of it. The dentist will choose the appropriate treatment method based on the extent of tooth decay.

2. If the decayed tooth does not hurt, do I need to fill it?

The damage caused by caries to teeth mostly develops gradually from the outside to the inside, and is clinically divided into shallow caries, moderate caries, and deep caries. Generally, in the case of shallow caries, only the enamel of the tooth is destroyed, and the patient has no subjective pain symptoms. If the patient is not treated in the hospital in time, the lesion will develop into the deeper layer of the tooth, and then form medium caries, deep caries, and even develop into pulpitis. Once pulpitis or apical periodontitis develops, endodontic treatment is required, which will cause great pain to the patient. Therefore, if dental caries is discovered, it should be filled promptly even if it does not hurt.

Therefore, the current method of treating cavities is to remove the decay, thoroughly disinfect it, and then fill it tightly with various materials.

When must decayed teeth be extracted?

In clinical practice, we often encounter patients who do not fill the small holes caused by caries. As a result, some of the teeth destroyed by caries can no longer be preserved and continue to function after proper treatment. The affected teeth do not have or have lost their functions, or even hinder the functions of other teeth, so they are not worth preserving. Such teeth have lost their meaning in being filled and can only be extracted, which causes serious damage to the teeth. In addition to affecting appearance, missing teeth will definitely affect chewing function, increase gastrointestinal burden, and thus affect physical health. Therefore, you should check your oral health regularly and fill your teeth as early as possible.

Warm reminder: After tooth decay, no matter what the cause is, whether the tooth hurts or not, the dirt at the decayed area must be cleaned up in time, and the tooth must be filled to prevent more serious problems secondary to tooth decay. Dental caries develops from mild to severe. If you are not sure whether your teeth have caries and your teeth do not hurt after caries, it is recommended that you go to the hospital for examination to detect the problem in time and provide symptomatic treatment.