MedlinePlus: Tooth Decay

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Tooth Decay

Also called: Cavities, Dental caries  To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript.    

You call it a cavity. Your dentist calls it tooth decay or dental caries. They're all names for a hole in your tooth. The cause of tooth decay is plaque, a sticky substance in your mouth made up mostly of germs. Tooth decay starts in the outer layer, called the enamel. Without a filling, the decay can get deep into the tooth and its nerves and cause a toothache or abscess.

To help prevent cavities

Brush your teeth every day with a fluoride toothpasteClean between your teeth every day with floss or another type of between-the-teeth cleanerSnack smart - limit sugary snacksSee your dentist or oral health professional regularly     Get Tooth Decay updates by email What's this?   Start Here Cavities/Tooth Decay(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Tooth Decay (Cavities/Caries)(American Dental Association)    

    The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups: Basics , Learn More , and Multimedia & Cool Tools .   For group Basics Overviews Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment Prevention/Screening For group Learn More Specific Conditions Related Issues For group Multimedia & Cool Tools Pictures & Photographs Health Check Tools  

  The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups: Research , Reference Shelf , and For You .   For group Research Anatomy/Physiology Financial Issues Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles For group Reference Shelf Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations Statistics For group For You Children Patient Handouts  

   

Overviews All about Cavities(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Cavities(Merck & Co., Inc.) Latest News Health Tip: Avoid Sugary Foods for Healthier Teeth(01/18/2012, HealthDay) Diagnosis/Symptoms Newer Technologies Find Tooth Decay Early(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Treatment Amalgam (Dental Filling Options)(American Dental Association) Also available in Spanish Crowns(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Fillings: The Basics(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Inlays and Onlays(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Tooth Colored Fillings(American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry) Types of Fillings(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Return to top Prevention/Screening Dental Sealants(American Dental Association) Fluoridation Basics(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Fluoride Treatments and Supplements(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Other Fluoride Products(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Return to top Specific Conditions Toothache: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Return to top Related Issues Amalgam Tattoos(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Bottled Water and Fluoride(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Private Well Water and Fluoride(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Story of Fluoridation(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Return to top Pictures & Photographs How a Tooth Decays(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Return to top Health Check Tools Dental Pain(DSHI Systems) Return to top Anatomy/Physiology Parts of Your Teeth and Gums(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Surfaces of the Tooth(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Tooth Numbering(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Tooth(American Dental Association) Types of Teeth(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Return to top Financial Issues Finding Low-Cost Dental Care(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Return to top Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Dental Caries(National Institutes of Health) ClinicalTrials.gov: Pit and Fissure Sealants(National Institutes of Health) Return to top Research Tooth Decay(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Return to top Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Survival rates of two atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) types in... Article: The Featherstone laboratory pH cycling model: a prospective, multi-site validation... Article: Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries... Tooth Decay -- see more articles Return to top Dictionaries/Glossaries Glossary of Dental Terms(Academy of General Dentistry) Oral Health Glossary(Academy of General Dentistry) Return to top Directories Find a Dentist: ADA Member Directory(American Dental Association) Find a Dentist(Academy of General Dentistry) Oral Health Data Systems: My Water's Fluoride(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Return to top Organizations American Dental Association National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Return to top Statistics Dental Caries (Tooth Decay)(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Prevalence and Severity of Dental Fluorosis in the United States, 1999-2004(National Center for Health Statistics) Return to top Children Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (Early Childhood Tooth Decay)(American Dental Association) Cavity Predictor: Is Your Child at Risk?(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine) Enamel Fluorosis(American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) Fluoride and Water(Nemours Foundation) Monitor Infant's Fluoride Intake(Academy of General Dentistry) Seal Out Tooth Decay(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also available in Spanish Tooth-Colored Fillings(American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) What's a Cavity?(Nemours Foundation) Also available in Spanish Return to top Patient Handouts Dental cavities Also available in Spanish Tooth decay - early childhood Also available in Spanish Toothaches Also available in Spanish Return to top You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages: You may also be interested in these related MedlinePlus topics:  

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA   Dental cavitiesFluoride in dietTooth decay - early childhoodToothaches Related Topics Child Dental Health Dental Health Tooth Disorders Mouth and Teeth National Institutes of Health The primary NIH organization for research on Tooth Decay is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research  

 

 

Date last updated: 19 January 2012
Topic last reviewed: 04 January 2012 Mobile version Get email updates Subscribe to RSS Follow us on Twitter

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Page last updated on 19 January 2012 Topic last reviewed 04 January 2012