What to Do if You Have a Hole in Your Tooth: Next Steps, Treatment, and Costs
Table of Contents
- Complications If Untreated
- Diagnosis
- Risk Factors
- Causes of Tooth Hole
- Different Types of Cavities
- Symptoms
- Treatment & Cost
- Prevention
- Frequently Asked Questions
What to do when you have a cavity depends on how serious it is when you discover it. A trip to the dentist is the first step, followed by any home remedies you want to try ahead of your dental visit.
Holes sometimes form on your tooth’s surface because of damage from tooth decay. These holes are known as dental cavities, or caries, and they affect 90 percent of American adults.
If you do not experience any pain, you can get away with caring for the tooth with regular brushing and flossing. (Although be careful with that tooth.) If pain is part of the problem, over-the-counter numbing gels can help.
Once you get to the dentist, you are likely to get a filling, crown, or root canal to fix the hole.
What causes a hole in your tooth?
A hole in your tooth can form due to a variety of factors. Thankfully, many of them are preventable with lifestyle changes. Here’s what you need to know about the common causes of a hole in your tooth:
Tooth holes form mainly because of sugary food and bacteria that are almost always present in your mouth. Some bacteria are harmless (normal flora), while others are harmful.
When harmful bacteria interact with the sugary food, they form plaque, an acidic component that erodes your teeth. Plaque accumulates if you don’t clean your teeth after meals. If it is not removed, plaque eventually creates holes in your teeth.
Swap out sugary snacks (like candy) for healthy options (like raw carrots). Try drinking water or iced tea instead of juice. Keeping the sugar content in mind could help you protect your teeth.
The American Dental Association (ADA) points out that acidic food and drinks can be just as harmful to your smile as sweet things. Food and drinks high in acid can wear away your tooth’s protective enamel and cause cavities.
Avoid drinks that are made of citrus or are citrus flavored. If you must eat a high-acid food (like a tomato), eat it as part of a meal and not by itself. Steer clear of carbonated drinks, as the fizz is typically caused by acid.
Holes can also result if you clench and grind your teeth (bruxism). Night-time teeth grinding is common but should be treated.
Constant grinding can crack your enamel (the white part of your teeth), and those cracks can grow large enough to form tooth holes.
If you grind your teeth, ask your dentist for a custom-fitted night guard you can wear while you sleep. It may not keep you from the habit, but it could offer some protection from enamel damage caused by grinding.
Smoking prompts your mouth to make less saliva, the ADA says. The lack of fluids can allow bacterial colonies to grow faster than they would otherwise. Additionally, the chemicals in tobacco can irritate your gums and oral tissues, making cavities more likely.
If you smoke, talk to your doctor about treatments that might help. Nicotine patches and other prescriptions might allow you to kick the habit for good.
Understand the different types of cavities
A hole in your teeth is technically considered a cavity. However, doctors have several different classifications they can apply to these dental problems.
The following four cavity classifications are often used:
Pit and fissure, or cavities that form in the deep grooves along your back teeth
Smooth surface, or cavities that form on front teeth and the sides of the back teeth that aren’t touching other teeth
Root, or cavities in the deep roots of your teeth
Secondary, or cavities that form around dental work (such as fillings or implants)
What symptoms does a hole in the tooth cause?
Dental cavities don’t form overnight. In fact, the hole in your tooth typically emerges as part of one of five stages of decay. This chart can help you understand what happens at each stage and what symptoms you might experience:
Stage | What Happens? | Typical Symptoms |
Demineralization | The tooth’s enamel weakens | None |
Enamel decay | A cavity forms on the surface of the tooth | Mild pain or no pain at all |
Dentin decay | The cavity deepens and reaches the dentin below the enamel | Significant pain and sensitivity |
Pulp damage | The cavity digs even deeper and reaches the pulp (soft tissue with blood vessels) deep inside your tooth | Severe pain while chewing and significant temperature sensitivity |
Abscess | Bacteria travels down the cavity and reaches the deep tissues in the jawbone | Swelling, pus, and a fever |
Treatment & your potential costs
Holes in your teeth can cause permanent damage if left untreated. Treating the cavities depends on their severity, but treatment options include the following:
Fillings
Crowns
Root canals
Dental costs can vary significantly based on some issues you can control (like the doctor you choose) and some you cannot (like the complexity of your case). The prices we’ll list below are for educational purposes only, as your final bill may be very different.
Dentists can use a refilling material such as resin to restore the eroded surface of teeth. The dentist first removes the decayed part of your tooth and then refills the holes using a dental filling.
Dental insurance will usually cover all or some of the filling costs. However, your costs can vary. According to the 2020 Survey of Dental Fees from the American Dental Association, an amalgam filling for one tooth is $145, but the costs go up if you need more than one filling. Costs between urban and rural areas can vary too, depending on how much the dentist must pay to keep the clinic up and running.
If the cavity has progressed to most parts of your tooth, you might need a crown to cover the damaged tooth. The dentist first removes parts of your tooth and then fits an artificial tooth crown into the regions of the affected tooth.
Crowns can be costly. Many dental plans will cover some or all of the costs for a crown that is needed for dental purposes (rather than cosmetic purposes).
Per the 2020 Survey of Dental Fees, resin crowns can cost about $826, but porcelain versions can cost about $1,213. Those prices can vary significantly. For example, some dentists only charge $970 for their porcelain crowns.
Other procedures, like a temporary filling or x-rays, may also be necessary and add to the bill.
Root canals treat cavities that are severe enough to have reached your tooth’s pulp, which is the inner part of your tooth. During the procedure, the dentist first removes the damaged pulp and replaces it with a filling.
Most dental policies will cover some or all of the costs for a root canal. Without insurance, a root canal may cost around $1,000. This price can vary by the complexity of your case, the severity of the damage, and more.
Complications if a Hole in the Tooth is Left Untreated
If you notice any holes in your teeth, take immediate action and treat them. If you don’t, you may face some dental complications such as these:
Bone loss or osteoporosis
Tooth fracture
Bone infection
Tooth abscess
Severe toothache
Difficulty chewing, which might cause nutritional problems
Diagnosis
Dentists will ask about the extent of pain you are feeling and then conduct a physical examination to observe the nature of the hole. A tooth exam will require the following instruments:
Light source
Dental mirror
Explorer
Dental radiographs (x-rays) are also necessary, especially if the cavities are between the teeth.
Prevention
One of the best ways to prevent tooth holes is regular brushing. Other ways of preventing tooth holes include the following:
Adjust your diet. Cut back on foods and drinks with a lot of sugar. Also, avoid foods that tend to stick to your teeth. Drinking water between meals will help rinse your mouth of excess sugars.
Floss. Brushing your teeth isn’t enough. Flossing helps to clean parts of your teeth you cannot access with a toothbrush.
Avoid smoking. Smoking tobacco is one of the main reasons behind many oral ailments, including dental caries.
Risk Factors
In most cases, cavities come from poor dental hygiene. However, you might be more susceptible to it than others because of the following factors:
Poor diet: Your chances of getting tooth holes increase if you take in a lot of sugary foods. Sugar provides fuel to form the acidic plaque that causes tooth decay.
Low saliva production: Saliva is crucial to washing the plaque from your teeth. It also has properties that counteract the plaques’ acidic effects. Some drugs, such as antidepressants and muscle relaxants, can reduce your saliva production.
Age: Infants and toddlers, especially those who drink from bottles, are at a higher risk of developing cavities. If you are an older adult, your chances increase because of receded gums and worn-out teeth.
Low fluoride consumption: Fluoride is an essential compound for your teeth. It helps strengthen them, preventing damage by tooth decay.
Frequently Asked Questions
A dentist can fix a hole in your tooth, usually with a filling. Don’t attempt to fix a hole in your tooth on your own.
If you ignore a tooth hole, it will not go away. It will keep growing and affecting other teeth. Eventually, it can cause abscesses, leading to an infection.
A tooth hole is not an emergency if it is still tiny and in its early stages. But it becomes an emergency if it enlarges and starts causing pain and excessive gum bleeds.