Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is also known as dental caries or dental decay and is a condition when bacteria cause infection of the teeth. The mouth houses millions of bacteria which breaks the carbohydrates in food to acid. This acid along with food particles and bacteria forms plaque. This eventually causes complete decay of the tooth if not treated. The nerves will also be exposed and result in tooth ache.

Symptoms

There are no symptoms for tooth decay until it has become worse enough to cause tooth ache. It is advisable that one has regular check-ups to prevent tooth decay. Doctors say that it is necessary that adults above the age of 18 should visit the dentist once in a year. Frequent checkups are necessary if one has a history of having trouble with the teeth. Some of the symptoms include aching of the tooth. having a feeling of an unpleasant taste left in the mouth, having a feeling of softness while eating something hot, sweet or cold, grey, black or brown spots on the teeth and bad breath.

Causes

The tooth consists of three parts:
Enamel – the hard outer shell of the tooth
Dentine – soft material that acts as support for enamel
Pulp – core of the tooth which has blood vessels and nerves

The plaque first attacks the enamel. Since the enamel is hard it takes a long time to erode. Once the enamel is taken off, the plaque forms small holes on the surface known as cavity. The dentine is then accessed through the holes and from here the rate of tooth decay increases. If not treated the bacteria and the plaque will enter into the pulp and cause infection. Usually the molars and premolars get affected as its shape is such that food can get stuck easily and it is also difficult to clean. Some of the causes for dental decay are smoking, diet rich in carbohydrates, having bad oral hygiene, dry mouth and eating disorders

Diagnosis

The dentist may check for tooth decay by physical examination or by X-ray for teeth he cannot examine easily. The dentist will also try to find out what kind of cavity the patient may have.
The different types of cavities are root cavities, pit cavities and smooth surface cavities

Treatment

Fluoride – One of the most effective ways of treating dental decay is by using fluoride.
Fluoride helps in repairing the damaged enamel and in eliminating the plaque and bacteria in the mouth
Crowns and Fillings – For the teeth with more damage the dentist may use the filling/crown treatment. Filling is a plastic resin or metal piece used by the dentist to put in place of the enamel that was decayed. Crown is used for teeth with extensive damage. In this treatment the tooth that is decayed in drilled and then a crown is placed.

Root Canal – If the decay has penetrated to the pulp then it is important that the infected pulp is removed and an artificial pulp is put in its place.