The first sign that a cavity is attacking your tooth on your pearly whites may be a sudden sharp twinge. That “Zing” may fool you into thinking that the cavity happened overnight when it can take a tooth several months to show any symptoms, other than that sharp jab.
What is a cavity? (Decay)
The bacteria that creates acid when we eat sugar or high carbohydrates causes tooth decay. (cavity) Of course, the more sugary foods you eat makes the bad bacteria thrive, create more acid, and that is what breaks the tooth down.
Maybe it will go away
If the pain or zinging is only occasionally, you may forget about it; that is until it gives you that sensation again. If you are tempted to put it on the back burner, you may suffer from a possibility of various tooth problems that could have been avoided by seeing us when you first felt it.
Your Tooth can Split
If you have a large filling in the tooth, it is more susceptible to cracking. We take images of your teeth to be proactive in detecting decay; Decay can be discovered in-between and under a filling. Mindless 
chewing can cause a decayed tooth to crack. Never chew on ice as the sudden changes in temperature coupled with the hardness of the ice can traumatize the tooth enough to split it.
Nerve Destruction
In the middle of the tooth is a hollow tube that holds nerves and blood vessels for your tooth. When decay reaches into the nerve, you may have excruciating pain all the time. If allowed to continue, if you can tolerate it, the nerve will die. After the nerve dies, there will be no pain. But, decay marches on, and you could lose the tooth altogether.
Infection that gets into the nerve of the tooth can cut off the blood supply to the nerve, and the tooth will die.
You could get an infection.
Leaving dead tissue in your tooth can make your body vulnerable to a host of abscesses and infections. Toxins from that tissue infect the bone of the tooth, through the cheek, and into the floor of the mouth. Your glands and jaw can swell, and you may even get a fever. Severe dental infections can lead to life-threatening brain infections.
Avoiding all of the above
It is essential to visit a dentist every six months, and to allow the health professional to take image films periodically to prevent cavities and stop them from worsening should a hole be detected.
Dentistry is a Partnership
Your health is our concern. A happy mouth makes a happier person. We are here for you. Call us any time.