What You Must Know About Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is one of the most painful experience one can ever have. Tooth decay is the softening of your tooth enamel and refers to the damage of the structure of the tooth caused by acids that are created when plaque bacteria break down sugar in your mouth. If this loss of mineral from the enamel is left untreated, a cavity, or hole in the tooth, can eventually occur. Without treatment, these holes can grow larger over time and may even destroy the whole tooth. Tooth decay usually occurs in children and young adults but can affect people of any age because as we grow older, the exposed root surfaces of teeth can be susceptible to decay.

Taking good care of your teeth is an important part of maintaining your overall health and wellness, and that includes preventing the dreaded dental cavity. A dental cavity is one of the most common results of tooth decay and could be a sign of poor oral health and hygiene.

• Toothache: A toothache is one of the most common cavity symptoms. 
• Pressure: Both increased tooth sensitivity and pain when biting down can indicate a cavity. 
• Pits: Cavity symptoms may include a noticeable hole or pit in the affected tooth. Sometimes the holes are only visible on a dental x-ray. 
• Pus:  One of the more serious and obvious cavity symptoms is pus around a tooth.

Causes for tooth decay

There are several factors that contribute to tooth decay, such as:

• Bacteria and Acid: The fact is, bacteria naturally live in your mouth. When these bacteria digest the carbohydrates that linger on your teeth and in your mouth, acid forms. 

• Dry Mouth:  Saliva helps wash plaque from the teeth. If you have a dry mouth with very little saliva, plaque may build up more quickly.

• Poor Oral Hygiene:  Not brushing your teeth regularly allows plaque to build up and attack the tooth enamel.

• Medical Problems:  can contribute to a tooth cavity by causing acid from your stomach to flow back into your mouth. Similarly, bulimia increases the risk of a tooth cavity when the teeth are exposed to stomach acid during frequent vomiting. In addition, some types of cancer treatment that expose the head and neck to radiation can promote a tooth cavity by changing the makeup of the saliva to promote increased bacterial growth  

•  Eating and Drinking:  This is where it all begins. Since we all have to eat and drink to live, there’s no way to avoid this, but it does play a significant role in the formation of cavities. When you eat or drink, carbohydrates remain on your teeth until you brush. Even after brushing, you may not be able to remove all food particles or carbohydrates from your teeth. Foods that tend to cling to your teeth can increase your risk for a tooth cavity. Be sure to brush your teeth regularly, especially after drinking milk or soda, or after eating dried fruit, dry cereal, hard candy, caramel, taffy, raisins, sugary cereals, cookies and breath mints. 

Prevention

There are a variety of ways to help prevent tooth decay which include:

• brushing of tooth regular can help in reducing the amount of dental plaque and bacteria in your mouth.
• The use of fluoride toothpaste, helps in strengthens teeth, as well as fluoride treatments provided by the dentist or taking fluoride supplements as recommended by the dentist.
• Using antibacterial mouth rinses to reduce the levels of bacteria that cause cavities.
• Eating sugary or starchy foods less often during the day to help reduce the amount of tooth-damaging acids in your mouth.