Tooth Decay Causes and Symptoms

Tooth Decay Prevention Tooth decay is one of the most easily prevented health problems. There are several known ways to lower the risk of dental cavities: Abscess: A collection of pus that has formed in a body cavity or hollow. Caries: The medical name for tooth cavities. Dentin: A firm tissue that lies between the enamel and the pulp of a tooth. Enamel: The hard, smooth, white outer surface of a tooth. Plaque: A film that forms on the surface of teeth containing bacteria, saliva, and dead cells. Pulp: The soft living material in the center of a tooth that contains blood vessels and nerve endings. Tartar: Hardened plaque. • Brushing the teeth after each meal or snack and using dental floss once a day. Brushing is important because plaque starts to form within twenty minutes of finishing a meal. Flossing helps to remove food particles trapped between teeth. • Limiting sweets and sugary drinks like soda or sweetened tea. • Quitting smoking. • Using a toothpaste that contains...

Tooth Decay Prognosis The prognosis of tooth decay depends on the stage at which it is discovered and treated. Dental fillings usually last for years with proper care, although they often need replacement when the patient is middle-aged. It is rare for tooth decay to lead to serious complications other than the loss of teeth; however, in a few cases bacteria from a tooth abscess can spread to the tis- sues of the floor of the mouth or to a hollow space within the brain that lies behind the upper jaw. These infections are potentially life-threatening.

Tooth Decay Treatment The treatment of tooth decay depends on the extent and severity of the problem. If the decay has just begun, the dentist may apply a solution of fluoride to stop the decay process. If the decay has progressed further, the dentist may need to drill away the decayed material or even remove the tooth. A small area of tooth decay is filled with a silver alloy, a composite resin, gold, or porcelain. Dentists call a filling a dental restoration. If much of the tooth must be removed, the dentist will drill away the top of the tooth and replace it with what is called a crown or a cap. If the tooth decay has affected the pulp in the center of the tooth and destroyed the nerve endings, the dentist removes the pulp along with any decayed portions of the tooth and fills the center of the tooth with a sealing mate- rial. This procedure is called a root canal. If the tooth is badly decayed, was broken in an accident, or is likely to cause trouble in the future, the dentist w...

Tooth Decay Diagnosis The diagnosis of tooth decay is made by a dentist rather than a primary care doctor in most cases. The dentist will ask the patient about tooth sensitivity or pain. In some cases he or she can see signs of tooth decay just by looking inside the patient’s mouth with an angled mirror. Another tool that is used is a hook-shaped instrument called an explorer, which allows the dentist to probe soft spots or areas of discoloration in the teeth. Last, the dentist will take x-ray films of the patient’s mouth to get a clearer picture of whether and how far the areas of decay have penetrated the tooth.

Tooth Decay Causes and Symptoms Tooth decay is caused by acid-forming bacteria in the mouth that live in plaque that has not been removed from the surfaces of the teeth. Decay is more likely to affect the teeth in the back of the mouth (the molars and premolars). These teeth have pits and grooves on their upper surfaces that make it more difficult to remove plaque completely. Tooth decay can develop over a period of months or even years without any obvious symptoms. When the decay begins to affect the dentin or the pulp beneath the enamel, however, the patient may begin to notice such symptoms as: • Sensitivity when eating or drinking sweet, very hot, or very cold foods • Pain when biting on something firm or tough • Pus around a tooth, which indicates that at abscess has formed • Pain that lasts after the person has finished eating • Visible pits or holes in the tooth • Bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth • Intense toothache

Tooth Decay Demographics Tooth decay is one of the most common health problems around the world. It is also one of the oldest. Prehistoric humans appear to have had dental problems dating from the time that they first began to cultivate grains for food, since bread and flour are rich in carbohydrates. Skulls found in Asia dating from 7000 BCE have teeth that contain holes created by early dental drills. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, and Sumerian medical A wisdom tooth showing decay. The Dentist Who Discovered the Cause of Tooth Decay The bacterium that causes tooth decay was identified in the early 1920s by military dentist Fernando Rodríguez Vargas (188–1932). Born in Puerto Rico, Rodríguez Vargas graduated from the dental school of Georgetown Univer- sity in Washington, D.C. in 1913. He began to investigate the cause of tooth decay in 1915 while working for the federal government’s Indian Medical Service in Tucson, Arizona. There he noticed that the Native Americans he was treating h...

Tooth Decay Description Tooth decay begins with plaque, a thin film that is a mixture of saliva, bacteria, and dead cells from the tissues that line the mouth. When a person eats foods rich in carbohydrates—sugary or starchy foods—the bacteria in the plaque ferment the sugars in these foods, forming lactic acid. Plaque builds up on teeth if it is not removed by regular flossing and brushing, eventually hardening into a whitish substance called tartar. The surfaces of human teeth are basically composed of minerals that are sensitive to acid. Under normal circumstances, minerals lost from the tooth surface are replaced by the saliva. But when plaque is not removed from the teeth by brushing or flossing, the acid formed by the bacteria begins to remove enamel from the surface of the tooth faster than the saliva can restore it. At this point the surface of the tooth begins to develop small pits or cavities. If these are not attended to, they can grow larger and move inward to affect th...

Definition Tooth decay, also known as dental caries, is a disorder of the mouth in which bacteria living in the mouth break down carbohydrates in food. The bacteria produce acids that eat away at the enamel—the hard smooth outer surface of the tooth—eventually producing cavities in the enamel. If untreated, cavities can lead to toothache, loss of the tooth, and bacterial infections spreading to the gums and other tissues.