The first noticeable thing in our personality is our smile; it is what gives the first impression, so maintaining it is crucial. What if you wake up to find a black dot on your teeth one day? Do not panic; having teeth discolorations is quite common. Read this blog to understand how to identify cavity vs stain.
If simply put, a cavity is a spot on the tooth, while a stain is slightly more prominent discoloration that takes up much more space on the tooth surface. Let’s dig a little deeper into this.
Cavity vs Stain –The difference
Even though cavities and stains are similar in appearance on the tooth surface, they have their differences as well.
A cavity vs stain is a permanent disfiguration on your tooth. You suffer from cavities when bacteria spreads and erodes through the protective enamel layer of your teeth.
If they are left without treatment, cavities will form holes in the teeth that may lead to decay or all other kinds of dental troubles.
On the other hand, stains do not pose a health risk as such. As a matter of fact, it is the aesthetics that come in jeopardy.
Tooth stains or tooth discolorations are when your teeth’ enamel is affected by the food or drink you eat. The pigments of some items shade the outer layer.
One major difference between cavity and stain is that cavities may lead to tooth decay, while stains are no such risk.
Signs of Teeth Stain
The primary marker of this issue is a change in color. There are different types of causes for teeth to stain, which are discussed later on; first, let’s see what discoloration is.
You may think that a cavity vs tooth stain also is a form of discoloration, isn’t it? Well, they are similar, but a staining discoloration is different. Here’s how.
Tooth discoloration can be of varying shades; why so? Because it is dependent on the food and drinks consumption, our oral hygiene habits, etc. for example:
- Red color – in case of eating tomatoes or their sauce
- Brown – if you smoke on a daily basis
- Yellow – lots of sugar and starchy food
Moreover, stain covers the entire tooth, mostly vs cavity that grows gradually in a particular area. So, if your tooth has drastically changed color, on the whole, it is a stain and not a cavity.
One more point about staining is that it is inevitable. As you grow the teeth lose their outermost protective layer – enamel and expose the color of dentin which is naturally yellow. Therefore, you may have been brushing and keeping up with your regime, but staining is inevitable and irreversible.
Signs of Cavity vs Stain
Cavity vs stain on teeth has one similarity only: discoloration, which also happens distinctly.
If the color change of the teeth is from a single point, resembling a dot, it is most likely a cavity on the teeth.
On the other hand, staining encapsulates a large portion of the entire tooth. Here are some telltale signs of having a cavity.
- Severe toothache
- Tooth sensitivity
- Painful eating or drinking
- Visible pits
Final Words
We hope that reading this blog, your issues of differentiating cavities vs stain is less than none. Still, in case you have any queries, contact the best dentist in Houston, Texas, at Vintage Oral Surgery. Connect with us on call 281 800 2252 or visit.