What Are the Different Types of Cavities
                     WHAT ARE THE 
DIFFERENT 
TYPES OF 
CAVITIES? 
Cavities are the ultimate enemy that you battle 
against every time you brush your teeth. 
While most people learn about cavities 
as children, you might not know everything 
there is to know about tooth decay. 
People are often surprised to discover that 
there are different types of cavities. 
Learning more about tooth decay lets you 
know what we are looking for during your 
dental exams.
How Do 
Cavities 
Form?
Your mouth contains natural bacteria 
that usually doesn’t cause a problem. 
Oral bacteria feeds upon the same food 
that you eat. 
It mostly feeds on sugar and carbohydrates. 
This is why you will often hear dentists 
recommend that you limit your sugar intake. 
As the bacteria feeds, it creates acid. 
The acid then breaks down the tooth 
enamel until a cavity develops. 
How Do 
Dentists 
Classify 
Cavities?
Most cavities form slowly. 
They can also appear on any part 
of your tooth. 
Dentists classify cavities by naming the 
location of the cavity on the tooth’s 
surface.
It is also possible to have several types 
of cavities on the same tooth.
Smooth 
Surface 
Cavity
You’ll often find this type of cavity on 
the visible surfaces of your teeth. 
Since the smooth part of your teeth 
is harder for the bacteria to build upon, 
these cavities are fairly uncommon. 
They often show up between the teeth 
or on the backs. 
Making sure to floss and brush all 
of your teeth’s surfaces helps prevent 
these cavities.
Pit and 
Fissure 
Cavity
If you take a look at your back molars, 
you’ll notice little grooves that help you 
chew your food. 
Those tiny crevices often catch food 
and can accumulate bacteria inside 
of them. 
Brushing can help, but some people 
have deep pits and fissures that are 
hard to fully clean. 
We can apply sealants on the back 
teeth that help to stop food from 
getting inside the grooves.
Root Cavity
The roots of your teeth usually lie 
below the gum line. 
This helps to prevent cavities from 
forming there. 
People with gum recession 
are more likely to have this type 
of cavity show up. 
The roots of your teeth have less 
enamel than the other parts. 
A cavity on the root can get deep 
very fast and require more 
intensive forms of treatment.
Are All Types 
of Cavities 
Treated 
the Same?
Dentists also classify cavities 
by how far they’ve progressed. 
Cavities go through six stages 
of progression. 
The first stage is the earliest. 
At this point, the tooth decay hasn’t led 
to a true cavity. 
Instead, you may have chalky white spots 
where the enamel is breaking down. 
Cavities at this stage can sometimes 
be halted with fluoride treatments.
The next stages of cavity progression include 
ones that are breaking through the enamel 
or the underlying dentin. 
Dentists treat these with traditional fillings. 
Once you reach the later stages 
of progression, the decay has gone 
down to the tooth pulp. 
At this point, your best option for 
treatment is likely to be a root canal.
A crown is often needed to restore 
teeth after a root canal or large filling.
Understanding which type of cavity 
you have can help you identify 
strategies to prevent future ones.
Developing a pit and fissure cavity 
could mean that you could benefit 
from sealants. 
A smooth surface cavity might mean 
that you need help improving your 
oral hygiene techniques.
Figuring out what is causing a cavity 
is beneficial for preventing tooth decay 
in the future.
Noble Dental Care is a family-oriented 
dental care clinic with dentists that care 
about you and your health.
Give us the opportunity to give you 
the smile of your dreams.
Call us for an 
appointment 
at (480) 820-3515. 
30