Dental Caries is the medical term used for tooth decay or cavities. This is mainly caused by the acid dissolution of the outer surface/structure of the tooth called Enamel.
Many bacteria live in the Oral Cavity in natural conditions. These bacteria once they come in contact with a desired medium like sticky and sweet food, food particles entangled between teeth and other substances mixed with saliva, forms a thin film on the surface of the tooth structure called Plaque. The plaque normally forms at these places:
Cracks, pits or grooves in posterior teeth
Between two teeth
Around fillings or artificial partial dentures and bridges
Around gum line.
The plaque bacteria convert the sugars and carbohydrates in the food stuff into acids which dissolves the mineralized structure of the tooth. Once the outer surface of the tooth gets dissolved, the decay penetrates to the inner, softer and vulnerable parts of the tooth and forms a cavity.
How do you know if you have cavities?
Often cavities get unnoticed in their early stages. It normally starts off as a white, radiolucent spot on the chewing surface of the teeth or between teeth. At this stage the dissolution of Enamel is still not complete and the decay process can be reversed easily.
If proper care is not taken at this stage then the caries progress deeper inside the tooth structure and causes a blackish or brownish discoloration. Once Caries progresses to deeper structures, the teeth become sensitive to sweet food and painful when exposed to hot and cold temperatures.
The amount of time taken for caries to progress depends on person to person and may vary from a few months to some years.
Preventing Tooth Decay:
Brush your teeth at least twice daily.
Use a Dental Floss in order to remove food particles which are entangled between the teeth.
Limit between meal snacking and reduce the consumption of sticky sugars like chocolates and candies in your diet.
If your area does not have fluoridated water supply then use fluoridated toothpaste for brushing teeth.
Mouthwashes containing Chlorhexidine reduces the bacteria in your mouth and help to prevent tooth decay.
Sugarless chewing gums containing Xylitol help reducing bacteria in mouth and also increase flow of saliva that helps to fight tooth decay. It is a good alternative to chewing tobacco.
If the caries advances then visit your dentist in order to get the appropriate treatment.
Special Care
Go for Healthy Dietary Choices:
You can easily prevent decay of your teeth by making healthy dietary choices. This means that if you follow certain dietary practices and choose the correct amount of food you will very effectively lessen the chances of tooth decay. In this section we have divided various food items into Best, Good, Moderate and Worse Choices of food depending on their role in causing food decay.
Best Choices – Green Leafy Vegetables, Cheese, Chicken, Nuts, Other varieties of Meat, Eggs. They neutralize the acids, and also strengthen the enamel by helping in deposition of more Calcium and Phosphorous on the tooth surface.
Good Choices – Unsweetened tea and water (especially Fluoridated water) help to flush away the decaying food particles, strengthen tooth enamel and dilute the effect of acids.
Moderate Choices - Firm fruits like Apple and Pears. They contain natural sugars which stimulate the flow of saliva and fight against tooth decay.
Worst Choices – Candy, cookies, cakes, crackers, breads, muffins, potato chips, raisins, French fries, banana, aerated drinks, tea and coffee with added sugars, cocoa and excessive intake of fruit juices.
Avoid taking these substances in between meals or in excessive amounts as they produce fermentable carbohydrates which produce acids causing tooth decay.
Dental Caries is the medical term used for tooth decay or cavities. This is mainly caused by the acid dissolution of the outer surface/structure of the tooth called Enamel.
The plaque bacteria convert the sugars and carbohydrates in the food stuff into acids which dissolves the mineralized structure of the tooth. Once the outer surface of the tooth gets dissolved, the decay penetrates to the inner, softer and vulnerable parts of the tooth and forms a cavity.
You can easily prevent decay of your teeth by making healthy dietary choices. This means that if you follow certain dietary practices and choose the correct amount of food you will very effectively lessen the chances of tooth decay. In this section we have divided various food items into Best, Good, Moderate and Worse Choices of food depending on their role in causing food decay.
