tooth decay

Tooth decay (caries) is estimated to be the most common disease from the world.

Tooth decay (dental caries) is a condition that results from holes (cavities) forming from the tooth. The main cause of tooth decay is the amount of fermentable carbohydrates i.e. sugars and starches from the diet and how they react using plaque from the mouth.

There are various stages from the caries (tooth decay) process:

• Plaque bacteria feed on fermentable carbohydrates when we eat or drink.
• Plaque bacteria convert them into acid.
• Acid begins to dissolve the enamel which can lead to a cavity forming.
• The cavity becomes deeper, reaching the dentine.
• The cavity spreads through the dentine, reducing underlying support for the enamel.
• The enamel becomes brittle and fractures. It is only at this stage that a person may become aware they are suffering from dental decay, as the tooth may chip and the person may begin to experience pain. However, dental decay does not always give any symptoms and thus extensive damage may be caused before you are aware of any problem whatsoever. By visiting your dentist regularly, he/she will be able to pick up on these problems at an early stage.
• Left untreated, dental decay will spread to the pulp. If the pulp becomes infected then an abscess may appear, resulting from an infection.

Click here to see the stages of tooth decay

The initial loss of minerals which causes small white spots to appear on the tooth is the very early stage of tooth decay. This can be reversed by brushing twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste and chewing ORBIT sugarfree gum to increase saliva flow to remineralize tooth enamel. However, without these preventative measures, frequent eating and drinking puts teeth at risk. After many acid attacks a cavity (hole) could soon develop from the enamel - once the enamel has been breached the tooth decay is irreversible.

Destruction of the teeth by tooth decay can lead to problems such as:

• Pain
• Tooth infection (abscess)
• Difficulties chewing
• Tooth extraction or root canal
• Speech impairment due to tooth loss
• Less attractive appearance
• Unpleasant mouth smell
• Expensive treatment

Click here for the oral health care routine