Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 7 Part 1: Problems You Will See Most Often
Contents
Cavities
A cavity can occur in any tooth. A cavity can also start around an old filling, especially if it is dirty.
Small, less severe cavities do not cause pain and may go unnoticed for months or years if not found during a dental check-up. The deeper a cavity gets inside the tooth (where the nerve lives), the more the tooth hurts.
Signs (for more severe cavities):
- Pain when drinking water or eating something sweet.
- A hole (gray or black spot) on the tooth, or between two teeth.
- Pain if food gets caught inside the hole.
- No pain when you tap the tooth.
Treatment (when there is no abscess):
Treatment depends on how severe the cavity is, where it is on a tooth, and whether it is on a permanent tooth or a baby tooth. See Chapter 10 for more information
Lost or Broken Fillings
For a temporary filling:
- Fill the hole with cement. If you have no cement, put some cotton into the hole to keep food out.
- Look for cavities or broken fillings in the other teeth. Fill each one with cement before it gets worse and starts to hurt.
- Arrange for someone to replace the temporary filling with a permanent one.
For a permanent filling:
You will need a person who has experience doing
Atraumatic Restorative Treatment or using a dental drill.
A groove on the neck of a tooth is a more difficult cavity to fill. For the temporary cement to hold properly, you need to shape the groove with a drill. To help temporarily, you can put a little fluoride toothpaste on the groove. Do this once each week until the inside part of the groove is stronger and the tooth hurts less. Or, you can paint the inside of the groove with oil of cloves (eugenol) to reduce the pain.
To avoid making the problem worse, (1) do not use a hard toothbrush; (2) do not brush back and forth along the gums; and (3) do not chew tobacco or betel nut or hold them against the teeth.