From a young age, adults often tell children that if they eat a lot of sweets, they will have cavities in their mouths, which will gouge and damage their teeth, causing dental diseases. So are there actually tooth decay? Let’s find out about this truth with My Auris dentistry.
What is tooth decay?
Tooth decay is one of the most common oral diseases, which can occur in any tooth, any person or any age group. The characteristic of tooth decay is that the hard tissue of the tooth is damaged by bacteria in food, plaque, and tartar.
The point of recognizing tooth decay is the appearance of white, brown, and black holes on the upper surface. Initially, these holes are quite small, very difficult to see, the hardest to detect are the teeth inside. After a while, tooth decay begins to develop, gradually spread, erode tooth enamel, forming large cavities.
At this time, people with tooth decay will feel sensitivity and pain, which may be accompanied by bad breath.
Currently, there are 3 main types of tooth decay:
- Tooth decay in the tooth crown is caused by bacteria, this is also the most common type of tooth decay today.
- Tooth decay at the root of the tooth often appears as we get older. At this time, the gums will become loose, and part of the tooth root will be exposed. From there, it creates conditions for bacteria to easily attack, causing tooth decay.
- Secondary tooth decay often occurs in the area surrounding a tooth filling or crown.
Are tooth decay real?
Since ancient times, adults have often threatened children not to eat candy because cavities will attack their teeth. To this day, there are still some sensational news stories or self-proclaimed “healers” who can catch tooth decay using traditional methods, including the method of using baked bricks.
However, according to scientists and dentists, tooth decay is not real and cannot be treated with methods without scientific evidence. The news on the internet is just sensational headlines, so doctors advise people to be careful not to be deceived. This not only prevents tooth decay but also affects health, such as inhaling smoke and Co2 gas from burned bricks.
Disclosure about tooth decay
According to scientific research, tooth decay is caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus mutans carbohydrate enamel to create acid, thereby reducing the pH level below 5. The continuous decrease in pH leads to demineralization on the tooth surface, causing loss of calculus in the hard tissues of the teeth. Therefore, black holes are formed on the teeth. Doctors call this tooth decay.
In addition, improper oral hygiene and using too much sugar-rich foods will form a lot of plaque, thereby creating favorable opportunities for S.mutans bacteria to grow and attack tooth enamel.
How to treat tooth decay?
Currently, there are many ways to treat tooth decay, and some natural ingredients can be used to alleviate the condition. However, according to doctors, the sooner you treat with a specialist, the more effective it will be. Therefore, when you detect signs of tooth decay, you should go directly to the dentist/hospital for timely treatment and treatment to prevent deep and extensive corrosion.
- Fluoride treatment: this is a treatment for tooth decay in the early stages. This treatment helps restore tooth enamel liquid, foam,… applied on the tooth surface.
- Tooth filling: The doctor will perform treatment, clean the cavity and then fill the cavity.
- Ceramic crown: this is a method used when cavities are large, weakening the teeth. After treatment, the doctor will cover the entire core of the real tooth with a porcelain crown. The ceramic crown has antibacterial properties, acting as a protective layer for the tooth, preventing cavities from recurring.
- Tooth extraction: not The principle in dentistry is to extract teeth in any casePreserve real teeth as best as possible, only in cases where it is impossible to save and restore. Severe tooth decay directly affects oral health and neighboring teeth, the doctor will prescribe tooth extraction.
Prevent tooth decay
To protect oral health, prevent tooth decay from attacking and raging, everyone from children to adults should take preventive measures and form oral care habits as follows:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush combined with toothpaste with the appropriate concentration of fluoride.
- To clean between teeth, plaque, and disinfect the oral cavity, you should maintain the habit of using dental floss, mouthwash or physiological saline
- Drink lots of filtered water, do not drink a lot of soft drinks or carbonated drinks. If it is necessary to drink these types of liquids, you should drink filtered water afterward or rinse your mouth with filtered water immediately.
- Do not eat too much junk food, especially candy, foods rich in sugar and starch
- Increase the intake of foods that are good for health and teeth such as green vegetables, fish, butter, milk, eggs, yogurt, etc.
- Inspection, dental examination, and scaling every 3-6 months.
Above, is the information about whether tooth decay is real. Hope everyone understands more about tooth decay so they can take proper prevention and treatment measures. From there, improve oral health and protect teeth well.
Anh Thy
