why is it that you can break a piece of a tooth and it doesn’t need fixing, but if you have the tiniest cavity it has to get filled ASAP?
In: Biology
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A cavity is decay-it is dead and dying areas with bacteria, and can spread if not taken care of. A cracked broken piece of tooth, depending on how deep the break is, won’t cause increasing problems over time.
Dentin, the inner layer of tooth underneath the enamel,, is much softer than enamel.
If a cracked or broken tooth is not broken into the dentin of the tooth, it may be stable, and in, there’s not an increased chance of it developing decay.
If even a small cavity reaches the dentin, the bacteria causing the decay can make the cavity grow very quickly.
Breaking a tooth isn’t a problem in itself, but more than likely the jagged surface of newly broken tooth is a better landscape for bacteria to nestle and grow compared to smooth enamel. That’s why a broken tooth should really be repaired.
For cavities, once bacteria reaches your pulp, that’s when toothaches become unbearable.
There’s two layers surrounding the pulp of the tooth: the outer hard enamel layer and the inner soft dentin layer. When cavities are only in the enamel layer, you can stop the further decay and promote re-mineralization by brushing and flossing away any ‘loose’ bacteria after a day’s worth of eating food. But once bacteria penetrates the dentin layer, it has a much higher chance of becoming its own little bubble that protects itself from your efforts to brush. This enables it to burrow deeper and eventually reach your pulp .
To add to above – bacteria in the dentine induce a reaction in the pulp once they are near it (don’t have to be in it). Inflammation of pulp is painful. Infection in pulp means Root Canal Treatment or Extraction.
Broken teeth, especially if only enamel, tend not to be painful, maybe just a bit jaggy or sensitive, as no inflammation/infection.
Source – I am a Dentist.
Looking at the answers so far; they’re good answers but some still seem a little technical for ELI5. Think of it like a car. If your car gets a little dent because something hit it, it shouldn’t dent more on its own. If there is rust on the car, it’ll slowly eat away at that area until it’s taken care of properly. The rust is like a cavity and the dent is a tooth chip.
Where on the tooth?
The biting surfaces are typically much thicker than the sides, and generally experience more tooth-on-tooth and toothbrush contact that keeps plaque from accumulating. You can still get cavities in crevices along the biting surface.
The sides of teeth (especially the sides between adjoining teeth) are easily covered in plaque, or even hard tartar if your brushing is poor. Toothbrush bristles will not be able to reach into the cavity, allowing bacteria and food to remain lodged.
The harder enamel can also [conceal damage](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThingsCutInHalfPorn/comments/7x209y/cross_section_of_a_molar_with_tooth_decay_800x1128/) to the less-sturdy dentin beneath it. From outside, it would just look like a small crack with maybe some dark discoloration. The crungy stuff in the upper half should normally be brighter white dentin.
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If you slice a piece of bread, the rest of the bread is okay to eat. If bread gets apple juice on it that part becomes soggy apple juice bread that doesn’t taste good.
You have to cut out the wet part or the apple juice will spread and more of the loaf will be soggy apple juice bread that you can’t eat.
chip on a tooth is fine, as long as it’s not too big. problem with cavity is that it goes deep, where the nerves are.
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