A cavity

Cavity infecting the pulp chamber

Fillings remove the decay

Alternatives to Treating Cavities

When you have a cavity, you really only have two choices. You could choose to:

• Postpone treatment
• Get a filling

Postponing treatment

What are your choices for treating a tooth damaged by cavities? The problem with postponing treatment is that a cavity will never go away on its own. It just gets bigger and bigger. It grows slowly while it's still in the hard outer enamel. But if a cavity is allowed to reach the softer inner dentin, it grows much more quickly and can easily infect the pulp chamber, which contains the tooth's nerves and blood vessels. Once the infection gets into the pulp chamber, you'll need root canal treatment to save the tooth.

Choosing a filling

A filling stops a cavity in its tracks. To place a filling, we remove the decayed portion of the tooth and seal the tooth with filling material. This restores your tooth's function, and keeps your mouth healthy.