6 tricks to know about caries
Do you want to avoid canal fillings and treatments? Know first how caries is formed.
What is caries?
” Oh! Oh! I think I see a decay! ”
No one wants to hear those words. Moreover, the dentist usually whispers them when you can not ask questions, so much you have your mouth cluttered with instruments and hands.
If you were told, during a routine dental examination, why you have decay, you would understand better what they are and what causes them. Here are six aspects of caries that you probably do not know, but you had better know.
1. Decay, it is at the beginning a slight hole
At the origin of a tooth decay, there is a very small hole in the enamel of the tooth. This hole is formed when an oral bacteria attacks the tooth enamel. Through this small hole, the bacteria reach the center of the tooth which is made of a somewhat softer material called dentine and the remains of its calcium. As time passes, this operation turns the dentine into a brownish spongy pulp. “If you look at an X-ray, it looks like a bomb has exploded,” says Edmonton dentist Molly Rodgers. To save the tooth, the dentist removes the dentin attacked and redo the center of the tooth.
2. Gum, a good alternative
If you do not want to take your toothbrush anywhere you go (you are not the only one), sugarless gum is a good alternative. Multiple dental caries studies have shown that gum with a sugar substitute, xylitol, fights the bacteria that cause dental caries and prevents the formation of plaque on the teeth. The evidence is so convincing that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has declared itself for gums containing xylitol.
3. Sugar is not the only culprit
New research on caries reveals that sugar is not the only element to cause the formation of plaque. All acidic foods change the pH of the mouth and this can cause cavities.
What is meant by acid food? The sugar associated with caffeine is the main aggressor. This means that all sodas containing caffeine, energy drinks and sweet coffees and teas are great caries creators. “This is a big problem because many people have grown addicted to caffeine,” says Molgy Rodgers; I recently performed my first double root canal treatment, a consequence of Tim Horton’s caffeine: my client was drinking coffee all day long. ”
4. The passion of snacks
Do you love caffè latte? And tasty muffins? This snack calms your hunger for a few minutes, but its disastrous effects on your teeth persist for three hours. This is the duration of the change in the pH of your mouth and the length of time that bacteria have any time to create plaque and attack the enamel of your teeth. To prevent these disastrous effects, you have the choice of the means to drink a glass of water, brush your teeth, chew gum or use a good mouthwash: so many gestures that can clean your mouth and avoid Dental damage.
5. Adolescents are at risk
Good news: the risk of developing dental caries decreases at menopause and with age. On the other hand, dentist Molly Rodgers says that it is in teenagers that she sees the greatest number of dental caries. Why? Because they love energy drinks and sweets. In addition, without the constant supervision of their parents, they neglect to brush their teeth and use floss.
6. It does not hurt – at first
In the beginning, cavities are not painful. If you undergo periodic x-ray examinations, the dentist can detect them as soon as they are formed and seal them with an amalgam. However, when the decay reaches the roots of the tooth and puts pressure on the nerve, you need a root canal treatment, surgical operation by which the dentist removes the attacked nerve while sealing the roots of the tooth.