Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigns and SymptomsTreatmentPreventionFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs and Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve been warned about cavities since we were children overeating sweets.Cavitieshappen as a result of tooth decay. Cavities are caused when there is food that is left to decay on your teeth. Bacteria live in theplaqueon your teeth and break down sugar to produce acid. The acid demineralizes the enamel, or protective outer layer, of your teeth. If not stopped, it can cause a cavity.

A cavity between two teeth—whether between twomolarsor other teeth—is known as an interproximal cavity. If you have ever had a cavity, the chances are you have had an interproximal cavity. Interproximal cavities form just like any other—because of the wearing away of theenamel(the outer layer of the tooth) on one or more teeth.

This article will discuss what an interproximal cavity feels like and what can be done to treat it.

M_a_y_a/ Getty Images

Female patient with open mouth receiving dental inspection at dentist’s office

Signs and Symptoms of a Cavity Between the Teeth

There are many symptoms and signs of a cavity, which can vary depending on their extent and location. It is possible not to experience any symptoms at all at the beginning stages of cavity development, As the decay becomes larger, you may notice these signs:

You May Not Experience SymptomsSometimes a cavity is found before you even experience symptoms. This may happen when you have X-rays (also known as radiographs) done at a dental appointment and your dentist notices signs of a cavity.Learn more:What Dental X-Rays Are Used For

You May Not Experience Symptoms

Sometimes a cavity is found before you even experience symptoms. This may happen when you have X-rays (also known as radiographs) done at a dental appointment and your dentist notices signs of a cavity.Learn more:What Dental X-Rays Are Used For

Sometimes a cavity is found before you even experience symptoms. This may happen when you have X-rays (also known as radiographs) done at a dental appointment and your dentist notices signs of a cavity.

Learn more:What Dental X-Rays Are Used For

How to Keep Your Teeth White and Prevent Stains

Treating Cavities

Regular checkups at the dentist can help identify cavities before they cause more serious issues that can then lead to long-term problems. Here we will narrow down some of the treatment options to consider when struggling with cavities.

Remineralization

Remineralization is a natural tooth repair process. Your body takes calcium and phosphate minerals from your saliva and deposits them in your enamel.

Your teeth lose minerals in a process called demineralization, which happens as you eat and drink throughout the day. Tooth demineralization happens naturally. It can become a problem when your body can’t replace what you lose. Lots of factors affect demineralization, including mouth bacteria, mouth acid, and saliva.

If you have more tooth demineralization (mineral loss) than remineralization (mineral gain), you’ll get cavities.

How Fluoride Protects Your Dental Health

Filling

A filling is an in-office procedure. Your dentist applies a numbing gel to the gums. Once this has taken effect, they inject a local anesthetic into the gum. Using a drill or another specialized tool, the dentist removes the decayed area of the tooth and then fills the hole in the tooth. The last step involves polishing and adjusting the filling so that your bite feels normal.

How Long Do Fillings Last Before Needing Another?

Root Canal

When a cavity progresses to the point that it involves thepulp(the chamber in the tooth containing the nerve and blood vessels), a root canal may be necessary to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth instead of removing it. The diseased tooth pulp is removed. Medication is sometimes put into the root canal to clear any infection. Then the pulp is replaced with a filling. This also treats potential infections anddental abscesses.

Crown

A dental crown is cemented into place on your tooth and it covers the visible portion of the tooth.

You may need a dental crown for several reasons, including:

Tooth Sensitivity After Crowns: What You Need to Know

Extraction

Tooth extraction is a fairly simple procedure that will involvelocal anesthesiato numb the area. Your oral surgeon will then extract the entire tooth, including the root. Bone-grafting material will be placed in the extraction socket, in some cases.

Regular Dental Examinations

How to Ease Tooth Pain From a Cavity

There are many simple steps that one can took to help prevent cavities. These steps begin with good oral and dental hygiene. Try following some of these recommendations:

Summary

An interproximal cavity is a cavity that forms between two teeth—whether between two molars or other teeth. If you have ever had a cavity, the chances are you have had an interproximal cavity. Interproximal cavities form just like any other because of the wearing away of the enamel on one or more teeth.

There are many ways to treat cavities, including fillings, root canals, or crowns. Under circumstances where the tooth has been so badly damaged due to cavities, an extraction may be the best option to consider.

A Word From Verywell

Now that you are aware of what cavities are and how to treat them, the most important thing to keep in mind is how important good oral hygiene can go. Maintaining healthy oral habits can prevent cavities from building up in the future. There are many simple steps in cavity prevention. By making these healthy habits a part of your daily routine, you can help prevent cavities in the future.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIn general, a filling should take an hour or less. It could take longer or require a second visit, depending on the materials used for the filling.Learn MoreDifferent Types of Dental FillingsYour dentist should first numb the area and use a dental instrument to remove the decayed part of the tooth. Once the entire decayed area of the tooth is removed, the cavity is cleaned to create space for filling. A tooth-colored filling will be used to give the teeth a more natural look.Learn MoreWhat Is a Cavity?A dental cavity can range in color from white to brown and eventually black as the cavity continues to grow. The shape of a cavity is organic and changes as the cavity grows in width and depth.Cavities between teeth may develop if a person does not effectively remove trapped plaque and food debris from the side surfaces of teeth. Usually, cavities that develop between teeth are often not visible to the naked eye.Learn More7 Ways You Can Prevent Cavities

In general, a filling should take an hour or less. It could take longer or require a second visit, depending on the materials used for the filling.Learn MoreDifferent Types of Dental Fillings

In general, a filling should take an hour or less. It could take longer or require a second visit, depending on the materials used for the filling.

Learn MoreDifferent Types of Dental Fillings

Your dentist should first numb the area and use a dental instrument to remove the decayed part of the tooth. Once the entire decayed area of the tooth is removed, the cavity is cleaned to create space for filling. A tooth-colored filling will be used to give the teeth a more natural look.Learn MoreWhat Is a Cavity?

Your dentist should first numb the area and use a dental instrument to remove the decayed part of the tooth. Once the entire decayed area of the tooth is removed, the cavity is cleaned to create space for filling. A tooth-colored filling will be used to give the teeth a more natural look.

Learn MoreWhat Is a Cavity?

A dental cavity can range in color from white to brown and eventually black as the cavity continues to grow. The shape of a cavity is organic and changes as the cavity grows in width and depth.Cavities between teeth may develop if a person does not effectively remove trapped plaque and food debris from the side surfaces of teeth. Usually, cavities that develop between teeth are often not visible to the naked eye.Learn More7 Ways You Can Prevent Cavities

A dental cavity can range in color from white to brown and eventually black as the cavity continues to grow. The shape of a cavity is organic and changes as the cavity grows in width and depth.Cavities between teeth may develop if a person does not effectively remove trapped plaque and food debris from the side surfaces of teeth. Usually, cavities that develop between teeth are often not visible to the naked eye.

Learn More7 Ways You Can Prevent Cavities

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tooth decay (caries or cavities).Gomez J.Detection and diagnosis of the early caries lesion.BMC Oral Health. 2015;15(1):S3. doi:10.1186/1472-6831-15-S1-S3Philip N.State of the art enamel remineralization systems: the next frontier in caries management.Caries Res. 2019;53(3):284-295. doi:10.1159/000493031Rasines Alcaraz MG, Veitz-Keenan A, Sahrmann P, Schmidlin PR, Davis D, Iheozor-Ejiofor Z.Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent or adult posterior teeth.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(3):CD005620. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005620.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Root canals.Cleveland Clinic.Dental crowns.Cleveland Clinic.Tooth extraction.Cleveland Clinic.Cavities.Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Marinho VC, Jeroncic A.Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;3(3):CD007868. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3Gondivkar SM, Gadbail AR, Gondivkar RS, et al.Nutrition and oral health.Dis Mon. 2019;65(6):147-154. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2018.09.009Bowen WH.Dental caries - not just holes in teeth! A perspective.Mol Oral Microbiol. 2016;31(3):228-233. doi:10.1111/omi.12132

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tooth decay (caries or cavities).Gomez J.Detection and diagnosis of the early caries lesion.BMC Oral Health. 2015;15(1):S3. doi:10.1186/1472-6831-15-S1-S3Philip N.State of the art enamel remineralization systems: the next frontier in caries management.Caries Res. 2019;53(3):284-295. doi:10.1159/000493031Rasines Alcaraz MG, Veitz-Keenan A, Sahrmann P, Schmidlin PR, Davis D, Iheozor-Ejiofor Z.Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent or adult posterior teeth.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(3):CD005620. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005620.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Root canals.Cleveland Clinic.Dental crowns.Cleveland Clinic.Tooth extraction.Cleveland Clinic.Cavities.Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Marinho VC, Jeroncic A.Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;3(3):CD007868. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3Gondivkar SM, Gadbail AR, Gondivkar RS, et al.Nutrition and oral health.Dis Mon. 2019;65(6):147-154. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2018.09.009Bowen WH.Dental caries - not just holes in teeth! A perspective.Mol Oral Microbiol. 2016;31(3):228-233. doi:10.1111/omi.12132

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tooth decay (caries or cavities).Gomez J.Detection and diagnosis of the early caries lesion.BMC Oral Health. 2015;15(1):S3. doi:10.1186/1472-6831-15-S1-S3Philip N.State of the art enamel remineralization systems: the next frontier in caries management.Caries Res. 2019;53(3):284-295. doi:10.1159/000493031Rasines Alcaraz MG, Veitz-Keenan A, Sahrmann P, Schmidlin PR, Davis D, Iheozor-Ejiofor Z.Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent or adult posterior teeth.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(3):CD005620. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005620.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Root canals.Cleveland Clinic.Dental crowns.Cleveland Clinic.Tooth extraction.Cleveland Clinic.Cavities.Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Marinho VC, Jeroncic A.Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;3(3):CD007868. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3Gondivkar SM, Gadbail AR, Gondivkar RS, et al.Nutrition and oral health.Dis Mon. 2019;65(6):147-154. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2018.09.009Bowen WH.Dental caries - not just holes in teeth! A perspective.Mol Oral Microbiol. 2016;31(3):228-233. doi:10.1111/omi.12132

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tooth decay (caries or cavities).

Gomez J.Detection and diagnosis of the early caries lesion.BMC Oral Health. 2015;15(1):S3. doi:10.1186/1472-6831-15-S1-S3

Philip N.State of the art enamel remineralization systems: the next frontier in caries management.Caries Res. 2019;53(3):284-295. doi:10.1159/000493031

Rasines Alcaraz MG, Veitz-Keenan A, Sahrmann P, Schmidlin PR, Davis D, Iheozor-Ejiofor Z.Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent or adult posterior teeth.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(3):CD005620. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005620.pub2

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Root canals.

Cleveland Clinic.Dental crowns.

Cleveland Clinic.Tooth extraction.

Cleveland Clinic.Cavities.

Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Marinho VC, Jeroncic A.Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;3(3):CD007868. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3

Gondivkar SM, Gadbail AR, Gondivkar RS, et al.Nutrition and oral health.Dis Mon. 2019;65(6):147-154. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2018.09.009

Bowen WH.Dental caries - not just holes in teeth! A perspective.Mol Oral Microbiol. 2016;31(3):228-233. doi:10.1111/omi.12132

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