Tooth decay occurs when bacteria present in plaque metabolizes the sugars from food and drinks into acid. The acid breaks down tooth enamel leading to a hole or cavity formation which can lead to pain, infection spreading throughout your mouth and even loss of teeth if not treated.
Whatever you do, don’t wait until it’s too late to get checked out. Be sure you find a dentist in Northwest Calgary. These dental spas in the NW exist for a reason, so be sure you are proactive with your mouth health and ensure all is good.
One cause for tooth decay is the presence of bacteria in plaque metabolizing sugar after eating/drinking leaving behind an acidic byproduct that erodes at the enamel on one’s teeth, eventually creating holes (cavities). This bacteria begins attacking softer areas first before moving deeper towards harder tissues like dentin. Here are some important things to know about tooth decay.
Can you pass tooth decay to someone else?
No, but the bacteria that causes tooth decay can be passed from one mouth to another through kissing, sharing a cup, utensils, or using the same toothbrush.
Tooth decay can damage any tooth
- Decay often occurs between teeth and in the grooves of back teeth, where bits of food collect. Toothbrush bristles do not get into these grooves as they are harder to keep clean because they are not as easy to reach compared with the front ones.
- Cavities may also go below the gum line at the tooth’s root which makes it hard for brush bristles to reach them while making it even more difficult to maintain hygiene in these areas. If left untreated or unnoticed by a person suffering from such a problem, they may experience pain to indicate there is a problem.
- This can lead to causing major structural problems within the said area… corroding internal structures away via acid residue build-up and gradually eating through calcium layers found on surface areas.
Tooth decay is a problem that might affect all people at some point in their lives.
- Some factors like snacking, drinking sugary drinks, or having weak teeth can increase your risk of tooth decay even more so than others.
- You may snack on sweet foods and sips soft drinks throughout the day. That’s okay! But you should take care to always have water with these things since they tend to leave dry mouths behind which increases your chance of getting cavities from bacteria buildup after meals where there isn’t any saliva being produced by glands under the tongue.
- If it runs in your family history then this could also give you an increased risk because genetics play a huge factor when considering how strong our enamel will remain over time.
Tooth decay can be prevented with fluoride and routine dental checkups.
- However, when the cavity has developed a hole in your tooth or caused poor oral hygiene, it is recommended that you get fillings instead of root canal procedures because they cannot fix cavities anymore… and this process might also cause other teeth to become infected.
- When there’s damage so severe, it affects the pulp inside our mouth causing inflammation and infection. This will lead to loss of gum tissue and could lead to surgeries which are known as extractions.
If you want to lower your risk of cavities, brush twice a day for 2 minutes each time.
- Clean between teeth every day with floss, brushing, or mouthwash. Brush twice daily for about two minutes per session with fluoride toothpaste – clean between teeth once a day using floss or other cleaners.
- Limit snacks/sips on sugary foods/drinks as well as drinks that have fluoride in them. Visit your dentist regularly for an exam and cleaning, also consider dental sealants applied to the back molars if needed since they can help even more! Use oral care products approved by the American Dental Association (ADA)
Chewing on sugarless gum or hard candy after eating can help prevent tooth decay. This is because saliva helps wash away sticky, sugary foods that stick to teeth and create an acidic environment in the mouth by reducing acid damage to our pearly whites while also making acids weaker. The minerals found in saliva can repair cavities which reduces how severe future dental issues might be if left untreated for too long.
