Is there a general time period? Assume a tooth becomes a cavity on january 1st, how many days would it be until the cavity was severe enough that a filling wouldn’t suffice and a root canal or extraction would be necessary.
Well, a root canal and extraction are two entirely different things done for different reasons, so the timing would be different. Given the same initial cavity. Then there’s the chance that you could have a cavity for years and years without it being filled and without requiring extraction or a root canal. Then there are several problems that can occur to your teeth that require extraction or a root canal that aren’t due to cavities.
A filled tooth is generally still a living tooth. A pulled tooth is obviously a non-existant tooth. A root-canal’ed tooth is a dead tooth and becomes dangerously brittle, requiring caps aside from the root canal.
The best best is to see a dentist for regular inspections.
Source: my wife the not-currently-practicing dentist.
From personal experience, having ignored a cavity once…
The new cavity starts out with no pain. A week to two weeks later there’s mild pain. A few weeks after that you need a root canal.
My advice: Get to the dentist before the mild pain. A cavity costs much less, takes almost no time, and doesn’t pain at all.
p.s. My results have been extrapolated from a single isolated incident. YMMV.
In my younger and more foolish days about 18 years ago -
When I was newly married and money was tight and I was busy. I had a cavity filling fall out, I just lived with it instead making an appt for it to be re-filled. From the time the filling fell out to the time the tooth got infected and needed to be pulled for a root canal was approx 9-10 months. Although I brushed regualrly food/bacteria obviously got into the (now open) cavity penetration and into the tooth, and then safe from being brushed away it festered into an abcess. This can obviously vary from individual to individual.
Since then I see the dentist every 6 months rain or shine and anytime a filling chips I make an appt immediatley. Once is enough. Don’t ever neglect your teeth.
However, cavities don’t always get worse. Sometimes they get “better” (ie smaller) through a process known as “remineralization.” During times in which I had dental work done over a period of months, some of the cavities got smaller.
All about remineralization (and it’s evil twin, demineralization):
http://www.mizar5.com/demin.htm
I use prescription toothpaste that is 1% flouride (vs .1% in commercial toothpastes) which contributes to mineral-rich saliva… I’m not sure its possible under average toothbrushing circumstances.
I have a bunch of fillings but I have never had a toothache in my life. Granted some of them are teeny spot fillings, but a few are whole tooth ones where I had visible cavities. I found it odd that I had cavities but never a toothache- my dentist told me that pain means a root canal may be needed since its gone down to the nerve.
In my youth (when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I developed cavities in several molars. They were the ones that are “baby teeth” and eventually fall out. Way back then there was no such thing as dental insurance. To save my parents money, the dentist advised that we ignore these cavities since the affected teeth would be falling out in 6 months anyway. The six months came and went. The cavities became enormous and one by one the teeth became infected. The resulting toothaches were excruciating. Each of the abscesses had to first be lanced and drained and then the tooth extracted. I went through this four times. I will never, EVER let this happen again. I have my teeth checked every 6 months, religiously and any repairs attended to immediately. I insisted on this regimen for my kids, too. I have never had a more horrible pain than an infected tooth. Especially with modern anaesthetics, no filling process comes remotely close.
Go to the dentist. Even if you don’t have dental insurance.
weird. I ask because i had a checkup 2 months ago and now one of the teeth that was ok during the checkup now looks (i don’t feel anything) like it might have a cavity. I’ve never heard of a 1 month period for acid to eat through the entire tooth. I ask because i don’t know if i should wait 4 months until my 6 month check up or not.
I once went 7 years w/o visiting a dentist, one of my teeth had a cavity for at least a year or 2 and it still responded to a filling. Lucky me.
Hmmm… Perhaps I have the numbers wrong… I can’t seem to recall correctly. Disregard my time period, although the degeneration was certainly within 4 months. Do go to the dentist before your next routine check up. Sorry about the confusion.