What is tooth decay and how is it caused?
What is tooth decay and how is it caused?
Tooth decay, also known as dental caries or tooth cavity is a bacterial infection that causes demineralization and destruction of the hard tissues of the teeth. When you eat, they eat, especially if you're not careful about brushing and flossing afterward. The bacteria surviving in your mouth form something called plaque, a sticky substance that you can feel on your teeth. If you don't clean this plaque off while it's still sticky, it will form a hard plaque on the surface of your teeth. This hard plaque gives bacteria a good place to live and thrive.
Plaque layered on to your teeth by bacteria is acidic. It eats away at the minerals in your tooth enamel. Enamel is a hard, outer layer that protects the interior of the teeth. Erosion by plaque acid weakens the enamel and causes it to develop small holes. This is the beginning of tooth decay and cavity formation. The gaps in enamel allow bacteria to get to the dentin, or soft, lower layer of your teeth, below the enamel. Dentin doesn't stand up well to acid and bacteria, so the little critters can move quickly from here to the pulp, the interior of the tooth
Causes
Poor Oral Hygiene Practices: Poor oral hygiene not only includes brushing your teeth regularly, but not flossing regularly, not brushing your tongue, and not using mouth wash. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day – morning and night, but it is ideal to brush after every meal.
Improper Nutrition: Avoiding foods that are high in sugar, high in carbohydrates and high in acid is the best way to avoid tooth decay due to improper nutrition. Eating a healthy diet, which includes healthy foods and the avoidance of sugary acidic drinks is the way to go.
Sugary Foods: Sugary foods are the best friends of the bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria in your mouth literally feed off of sugary foods, and then begin to coat your teeth in damaging acid. This can all happen in a matter of seconds and can occur several times over the course of just one meal,
Age: There are many reasons that cavities become more common with age, but some include common prescription medications which cause dry mouth, the recession of gums with age, and improper oral hygiene finally catching up with age.
Acidic Foods and Drinks: When most people think of “acidic” they more than likely think of “soda,” when in fact many common foods which people consume on a daily basis contain acid. Shockingly, even foods such as fish and bread contain acid. Of course, carbonated beverages such as soda, as well as fruit juice are all acidic agents which cause tooth decay. Unlike the way that bacteria feed off of sugary foods so they can coat the teeth in acid, acidic foods and drinks immediately begin to damage tooth enamel with their own acid.
When you eat, they eat, especially if you're not careful about brushing and flossing afterward. The bacteria surviving in your mouth form something called plaque, a sticky substance that you can feel on your teeth. If you don't clean this plaque off while it's still sticky, it will form a hard plaque on the surface of your teeth. This hard plaque gives bacteria a good place to live and thrive.
Plaque layered on to your teeth by bacteria is acidic. It eats away at the minerals in your tooth enamel. Enamel is a hard, outer layer that protects the interior of the teeth. Erosion by plaque acid weakens the enamel and causes it to develop small holes. This is the beginning of tooth decay and cavity formation. The gaps in enamel allow bacteria to get to the dentin, or soft, lower layer of your teeth, below the enamel. Dentin doesn't stand up well to acid and bacteria, so the little critters can move quickly from here to the pulp, the interior of the tooth
Causes
Poor Oral Hygiene Practices: Poor oral hygiene not only includes brushing your teeth regularly, but not flossing regularly, not brushing your tongue, and not using mouth wash. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day – morning and night, but it is ideal to brush after every meal.
Improper Nutrition: Avoiding foods that are high in sugar, high in carbohydrates and high in acid is the best way to avoid tooth decay due to improper nutrition. Eating a healthy diet, which includes healthy foods and the avoidance of sugary acidic drinks is the way to go.
Sugary Foods: Sugary foods are the best friends of the bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria in your mouth literally feed off of sugary foods, and then begin to coat your teeth in damaging acid. This can all happen in a matter of seconds and can occur several times over the course of just one meal,
Age: There are many reasons that cavities become more common with age, but some include common prescription medications which cause dry mouth, the recession of gums with age, and improper oral hygiene finally catching up with age.
Acidic Foods and Drinks: When most people think of “acidic” they more than likely think of “soda,” when in fact many common foods which people consume on a daily basis contain acid. Shockingly, even foods such as fish and bread contain acid. Of course, carbonated beverages such as soda, as well as fruit juice are all acidic agents which cause tooth decay. Unlike the way that bacteria feed off of sugary foods so they can coat the teeth in acid, acidic foods and drinks immediately begin to damage tooth enamel with their own acid.
