Dental caries happens when bacteria, acids, plaque, and tartar all work together to eat away at the tooth’s surface. Caries in the teeth is also called cavities.
Caries is a common condition that affects both children and adults. The main reason people get caries is that they don’t take care of their teeth properly.
Caries in the teeth are often harmless at first, but they can be very painful if they get worse and reach the nerve or root of a tooth.
If you don’t take care of dental caries, the problem can get worse and turn into a tooth abscess, which is more painful and could be more serious.
Caries in the teeth are very common, but most people can avoid them by taking care of their teeth. This means that you should always brush and floss your teeth.
Dental caries doesn’t usually need to be treated immediately unless they hurt, don’t respond to over-the-counter pain relievers, or get worse to the point where a tooth abscess forms.
As part of the endodontics treatment, the decayed tissue will be removed from the tooth with a dental drill, and the resulting hole will be filled with a strong dental substance.
If you’ve had a toothache for more than a few days or over-the-counter painkillers aren’t helping, you should see a dentist as soon as possible. You should also see a doctor immediately if you have dental caries.
What are the causes of dental carries?
No one likes to hear that they have a hole in their tooth. But did you know that having a sweet tooth like Augustus Gloop’s isn’t the only thing that can cause tooth decay?
Here is a list of the most common things that can cause tooth decay, along with tips on avoiding them.
1. Poor Diet
A bad diet, especially one high in sugars and starches, is one of the most important things that lead to tooth decay.
Bacteria in the mouth have a sweet tooth and love the simple carbohydrates in the meals above.
As they eat these carbs, acids are made in their bodies. These acids weaken and break down the layer of enamel that protects the teeth, which leads to dental disease in the long run.
When white bread, crackers, cakes, cookies, gummy candies, dried fruits, and chips are chewed, they often become a sticky substance that gets stuck in every nook and cranny of the teeth. This includes things like chips, gummy candies, and dried fruits.
One way to think about these stuck-on food particles is as a free buffet for acid-making bacteria that love sugar.
Drinks like sodas, energy drinks, black tea, coffee, and fruit juices cause tooth decay because they coat the teeth in sugar and acid every time you take a sip. Water is another drink that can lead to tooth decay.
People usually drink these kinds of drinks at different times of the day. This keeps the enamel from getting hard again after acids have damaged it. Because of this, the enamel layer will eventually break down, leading to tooth decay.
What to Do
You can keep these foods and drinks, but moderation is the key. Keep track of how much added sugar you eat every day, and if you need to, devise a plan to cut back on it.
After meals and drinking different kinds of drinks, rinsing your mouth with water will help eliminate leftover food and bacteria.
Chewing sugar-free gum approved by the American Dental Association (ADA) after meals and drinks can also be beneficial because it causes salivation, which assists in the removal of any lingering food particles and bacteria from the mouth.
Poor Dental Hygiene Habits
One main thing that leads to tooth decay is not practising good oral hygiene regularly. When it comes to this bad habit, the question is not whether someone will do it but when.
Inadequate brushing and flossing, which might look like not brushing regularly, thoroughly, or long enough, or, worse, not doing them at all, let food particles, dangerous bacteria, and plaque stay on the surface of the teeth, which can lead to gum disease and other oral health problems.
If you let them stay, they will damage the enamel layer over time if you don’t get rid of them. This strong protective barrier is constantly being broken down, causing a hole that keeps getting bigger because it can’t harden back up after being softened by acids made by foods and bacteria.
What to Do
You should brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes, using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.
Either buy a rechargeable electric toothbrush, most of which have a built-in timer, or use a timer to make sure you brush your teeth for at least two minutes every time.
String floss should be used once a day to clean between the teeth, where a toothbrush can’t reach.
Work the string into a C shape around the neck of each tooth using a strand that is 18 inches long and wound around your fingers, leaving a space of about one to two inches for working.
Dry Mouth
Even though the thought of drool and saliva might make you feel sick to your stomach, both body fluids are important for protecting and maintaining oral health, especially by preventing tooth decay.
Saliva keeps the mouth moist and helps break down food particles and wash them away. It also makes the teeth stronger and protects them from the effects of plaque and acidic foods and drinks.
When someone doesn’t drink enough water, they become dehydrated, making their mouth dry. Both drinks with caffeine and alcohol are especially dehydrating, which can become problematic if you drink them often and don’t drink enough water to keep your body hydrated.
A dry mouth can be caused by habits like smoking and breathing through the mouth. Some diseases and medicines can also cause dry mouth as a side effect.
What to Do
Drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep your body’s water level healthy. Chewing gum approved by the ADA and has no sugar can make your mouth more saliva.
Mouth breathing, drinking coffee or alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and doing other things like these can all cause dry mouth, which can be treated by trying to change or stop doing these things.
Talk to your primary care doctor and your dentist about making a treatment plan to deal with any side effects caused by the medicines you take or the health problems you have.
Your doctor might tell you to use an oral rinse or a medicine that helps your mouth make more saliva. If you have a dry mouth as a side effect of a medicine, you are taking. Your doctor may decide to change the amount you take.
Your dentist will keep a close eye on your oral health and how dry mouth affects it over time, and they will suggest ways to keep your teeth from getting cavities.
An Untreated Medical Disease or Disorder
When a disease or disorder is not treated, it can have effects beyond the part of the body that is directly affected by it.
Snoring and sleep apnea, for example, aren’t the only sleep disorders that can make it hard for you and your partner to get a good night’s sleep.
Both of these conditions make breathing hard for a person, so they keep taking harsh, drying breaths through their mouths while they sleep. This makes their mouths dry out.
Another problem that can happen when you sleep is bruxism, which is the habit of grinding your teeth. In the worst cases, teeth can be worn down so much that they are just stumps.
As teeth wear down, the protective enamel that covers them also wears away. This makes it more likely that tooth decay will happen.
What to Do
Get help from a doctor as soon as you can. If you know you have any of these problems, you should talk to your primary care doctor and your dentist. They will help you determine the best way to deal with or eliminate the condition’s symptoms and side effects.
People with sleep apnea, snoring, or bruxism may be given an oral device or bite splint to wear while sleeping to help ease the symptoms of these conditions.
Aside from not sleeping on your back, you can also start an exercise routine and avoid drinking alcohol within two hours of going to bed.
