Dental decay is a common disease of our teeth. It is a progressive disease that affects hard tooth tissue and is stimulated by the action of bacteria that accumulate and create plaque. If in any case,it is not treated early,decay can cause necrosis of the pulp and moreover, create an abscess at the top of the tooth root and extraction usually follows.
How is decay created?
Dental decay is caused by plaque acids that gradually dissolve away the enamel and dentin of the tooth. Decay damages your teeth and may lead to the tooth needing to be filled or even taken out.
Decay happens when sugars in food and drinks react with the bacteria in plaque, forming acids. Every time you eat or drink anything containing sugars, these acids attack the teeth and start to soften and dissolve the enamel. The attacks can last for an hour after eating or drinking, before the natural salts in your saliva cause the enamel to ‘remineralise’ and harden again.
It’s not just sugars that are harmful: other types of carbohydrate foods and drinks react with plaque and form acids. (These are the ‘fermentable’ carbohydrates such as the ‘hidden sugars’ in processed food, natural sugars like those in fruit, and cooked starches.)
Snacking between meals on sugary or acidic foods and drinks can increase the risk of decay, as the teeth come under constant attack and do not have time to recover. It is therefore important not to keep snacking on sugary foods or sipping sugary drinks throughout the day.
Causes.
Cavities are the result of two primary factors:
- bacteria in the mouth
- and a high-sugar and starch diet.
It is natural to have bacteria in the mouth but it becomes problematic in the case of poor oral hygiene.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the mouth’s normal bacteria combine with food pieces and saliva to form plaque. Plaque is a sticky, invisible substance that accumulates quickly. Foods rich in sugar or starch make plaque stickier. If plaque stays on the teeth for more than a few days, it gets harder . It becomes a substance called tartar.
Cavities form when bacteria in plaque and tartar convert sugar into acid. According to Culotta-Norton, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are bacteria especially likely to combine with fermentable carbohydrates. Like sucrose, fructose and glucose and produce acid. “The acid demineralizes the hard structure of the tooth, which over time creates a soft spot, or hole in the tooth called a cavity,” Culotta-Norton said.
The destruction doesn’t stop there, reports the Mayo Clinic. After the enamel is worn away, the acid reaches the next layer of the teeth. This layer, called dentin, is softer and susceptible to acid. The bacteria and acid continue to work their way through the tooth, into the pulp, creating a bigger and bigger hole.
According to the NIH, cavities are most commonly found where plaque is highly prevalent, such as on the molars, between teeth, near the gum line, and at the edges of fillings.
Athina Tsiorva