In the past a you would get a cavity and the dentist would fix it with a filling. Now however dentist can often use treatments to stop tooth decay before a cavity even develops.  Tooth decay often provides signs before it actually causes a cavity in your tooth. Your dentist looks for these sign such as white spot on the tooth enamel or any suspicious spots on your X-rays.   In this situation, if your dentist sees a suspicious spot on a tooth or on your X-ray, the proper treatment may not be “drilling and filling.” But instead the dentist could paint fluoride varnish or calcium pastes on the problem tooth.

These treatments often can stop or slow down the decay process. They also help the tooth to repair the area where the cavity was forming. This process is known as remineralization.  During this type of dental treatment you may have to see the dentist more often during the next few months of treatment. At these visits the dentist would check to see if the treatment is working and may treat the tooth again.   A dentist can not catch the early signs of tooth decay if you do not see a dentist regularly so in order to maintain healthy teeth and gums brush and floss daily and see your dentist at least twice a year or as advise by your dentist .