How to Treat or Cure Dental Caries

Treating tooth decay is a ladder of fixes matched to how deep the decay has gone - and every step up the ladder costs more time, money and comfort than the one below.

Stage by stage treatment

• White spot (early enamel): NO drilling - fluoride varnish, remineralising pastes, diet change and brushing; the tooth heals itself with support
• Small to medium cavity: a filling - one sitting, 20-30 minutes, local anaesthesia, done. Composite (tooth-coloured) is the modern default
• Large cavity near the nerve: a deeper filling, sometimes with a protective base, or a crown if the remaining tooth is weak
• Pulp involved (night pain, lingering pain): root canal treatment - the infected nerve is removed, the canals cleaned and sealed, usually followed by a crown; 2-3 sittings typically
• Abscess: root canal or extraction to remove the source; antibiotics are an adjunct for spreading infection or fever, never the treatment alone
• Hopeless tooth: extraction, then discuss replacement - implant, bridge or denture - because a gap left years drifts and bites collapse

What treatment is NOT

• Not optional once cavitated: no diet, herb or toothpaste regrows a hole - the longer the delay, the higher the ladder
• Not finished with a painkiller: pain that settles can mean a dying nerve with infection continuing quietly

Practical wisdom

• Dental fear is normal and manageable - tell the dentist; modern local anaesthesia is genuinely effective
• Government dental colleges and clinics offer the same treatments at a fraction of private costs
• Pregnant women can and should get dental treatment - the second trimester is the comfortable window; untreated dental infection is the bigger risk

One-line summary

Treat caries by matching the stage - fluoride for the white spot, a filling for the hole, root canal and crown for the nerve, extraction only when hopeless - and treat early, because every rung of the ladder is cheaper, quicker and kinder than the one above it.