According to a study made a few years ago, 80 percent of Moldovans suffer from tooth decay. This number is constantly growing. Tooth enamel is destroyed under the action of acids formed by bacteria, and as a result, a void is formed. Once it passes the enamel, caries “move” inwards causing inflammation of the pulp and then infection of the entire tooth (in this case endodontic treatment is already needed). Here’s everything you need to know about tooth decay:

Causes of tooth decay

Before you get to the treatment of dental caries, you need to know what are the factors that generate them.

• Improper oral hygiene

If you don’t brush your teeth enough, the deposited dental plaque will promote the development of harmful bacteria. They can no longer be effectively removed with a toothbrush, mouthwash, or even floss. The deposited dental plaque will seriously affect your oral health.

• Unhealthy eating

The main enemies of teeth are sugar and sour foods. At the same time, those that adhere to the surface of the teeth, such as ice cream, milk, honey, dried fruits, cakes lead to the formation of caries between the teeth and speed up the process of destroying teeth.

• Harmful habits

Excessive smoking and drinking can seriously damage your teeth. Until you get rid of these unhealthy habits, you will be a constant patient of dentists.

• Lack of saliva

Saliva helps eliminate food debris from the oral cavity and helps strengthen teeth. If the saliva is insufficient, the formation of bacteria and, therefore, the appearance of dental caries is accelerated.

Symptoms of tooth decay

• At the initial stage, caries will show no symptoms. You may notice changes in your teeth when the affected tooth enamel. But even these will be insignificant. And that’s because the enamel does not contain blood vessels or nerves, which can cause painful reactions.
• When caries passes the enamel and reaches nerve endings, moderate pain reactions and an increase in the sensitivity of the teeth to cold, hot, sweet, or acid may occur. In addition to pain, food debris will accumulate in the cavity formed by tooth decay, and because of this, you will have bad breath.
• You will feel the peak of the pain when caries reaches the dental pulp, causing pain, sometimes unbearable.

Treatment of dental caries

As soon as you feel discomfort, you should go to the dentist. Initially, caries will look like a small, whitish or brown spot that can be examined under a light source, using the mirror and the dental probe. Some doctors recommend dental x-rays. It happens when caries is small and difficult to detect. Once he has a complete picture of the infected tooth, the dentist will proceed with the treatment. It will be spotless the cavity formed by caries, and then it will fill the tooth. Remember, caries treated in time:

• will keep the tooth and its structure almost intact,
• will prevent future tooth damage,
• will prevent further complications,
• will restore the tooth both medically and aesthetically.

Myths about tooth decay

1. Baby teeth cannot have dental caries

Fake. Tooth decay is quite aggressive for kids, evolves rapidly, and leads to early loss of these teeth. That is why the visit to the dentist should not be postponed. Parents should not be afraid of this disease. The worse is indifference (“these teeth change anyway”). Dentists know exactly when and what dose of anesthesia to use. In addition, they will try to entertain the little ones using fillings of different colors.

2. Aspirin is the main aid in relieving toothache

Fake. As soon as they feel toothache, some put an aspirin in the painful teeth. The most advanced use local gels… It is a wrong technique, say dentists. Aspirin is able to suppress pain, but it is not put directly on the tooth. This is quite acidic and could burn the gum tissue. And the gels, even the best ones, don’t get rid of you, they just easily erase the clinical picture.

3. Caries cannot appear on the sealed tooth

Fake. Teeth filling is not a procedure that gets rid of dental diseases forever. Unfortunately, you can also find caries under fillings. You need to know that the seals wear out over time, and through the cracks that appear, bacteria and food debris can enter. So, make sure that you make regular visits to the doctor so that he can check the seals and change them before they cause problems.So take care of your teeth! Choose only the best specialists. You can find them at the Imperial Dent dental clinic, on Nikolai Zelinski Street 15/4.