Symptoms

Symptoms include:

• Tooth sensitivity to hot or cold
• Tooth discomfort after eating
• Darkening of the tooth surface
• Bad breath or a foul taste in the mouth
• Throbbing, lingering pain in tooth

Diagnosis

Tooth decay or caries is diagnosed by monitoring over a period of time. This involves clinical examination as well as x-rays.

A dentist checks for tooth decay by:

• Asking about pain in the teeth
• Visually inspecting the surface of the teeth
• Probing teeth with dental instruments to check for:
  • Sensitivity
  • Pain
  • Softness
  • Surface defects
• Taking x-rays of teeth