People have changed over the last 50 or 60 years and so have their teeth. Back in the day, when a teenager had a cavity, you could literally see a big, black hole in a tooth which was obvious to even non dentists. Today, tooth decay is much more "insidious" and appears much less alarming. The reason is due to the ingestion of fluoride and the eating habits of young people today...Kids don't eat 3 good meals, they graze on food through the day providing a constant source of nourishment for the bacteria that causes tooth decay.
Do you see those small dark 'dots' in the middle of these teeth?
Let's follow them as I enlarge the teeth to reveal deep cavities
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| Cavity getting bigger |
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| Wow the cavity is huge |
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| Tooth decay right to the nerve of the tooth. See the small round dot in the bottom tooth |
Like I said, this is not your Father's tooth decay.
P.S. This patient had a dental check up every six months but her dentist didn't think that those dark spots were tooth decay. Maybe my 40 years of experience is showing.
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