Tooth decay eats away at your tooth and causes cavities to occur.  If you have cavities, it is important to go to a dentist right away for treatment.  Ignoring cavities will cause complications down the road.

When a cavity is detected in its early stages, the dentist can drill away the decay and give you a filling.  A filling is dental material that plugs the hole from the cavity to restore the tooth to its original shape.

If a cavity is let go for a period of time, additional decay occurs.  If the tooth becomes severely damaged, a crown (frequently referred to as a cap) may need to be used to restore the tooth.  This man-made replacement is used for broken teeth or decayed teeth that are too damaged for a filling to work.

When the pulp of your tooth becomes infected, a root canal treatment becomes necessary.  The pulp is removed from your tooth and often a crown is placed to restore the tooth.  Sometimes a tooth becomes so severely damaged that it requires extraction and an implant or bridge will need to be used to replace the missing tooth or teeth.

If you treat cavities at their beginning stages, you can save your teeth and save yourself additional dental procedures in the future.