Tooth Decay

Topics

• Bad Breath
• Gum Disease
• Tooth Decay
• Fluoride – Good or Bad?
• Gums and Dis - ease
• Cleaning Your Tongue
• When Should You Brush?
• How do whitening toothpastes work, and how effective are they?
• Children's Oral Health
• Filling Cavities

What is tooth decay?

Tooth decay, commonly known as cavities or dental caries, happens when bacteria and acids eat through the tooth’s enamel and start to decay the inner dentin layer. The inner dentin layers are alive and once they become infected, we experience what’s normally known as a toothache. Left unchecked, tooth decay will eventually reach the tooth roots, resulting in considerable pain and most probably the loss of the tooth itself.

How does tooth decay start?

One primary reason is eating too much refined sugars. Sugar is not only an excellent host for bacteria, but when sugar is broken down into its simpler components, the result is an acid-like substance that attacks the enamel.

This sugar also feeds acid producing bacteria, giving your teeth a double attack of enamel destroying acids.

Bacteria will collect around the teeth and gums in a sticky, creamy-coloured mass called plaque.

That’s why brushing and flossing is so important – it greatly diminishes the time sugar and the acid bacteria can work their deleterious effects.

Soda pop is another leading culprit. Soda has phosphoric acid, which interacts especially violently with the calcium in tooth enamel. How violently? If you ever have a tooth pulled, drop it in a glass of soda pop. In a couple of days, it will be totally dissolved!

Preventing tooth decay

Do everything your parents taught you! Brush regularly, floss regularly, cut down on the sweets and drink pure water instead of soda pop. Regular visits to your family dentist will greatly help in detecting the early signs of tooth decay, and correcting it before it becomes a bigger problem.