The Oldest Widespread Disease in the World: Tooth Decay

Another look at dental decay and methods of its prevention.

Dental caries is a disease process caused by infection. It damages the teeth’s structure. Holes or hollow spaces are called cavities. They are the most common results of tooth decay.

In case the problem is left without proper care, the teeth start to bring pain. The issue can even lead to the loss of teeth. There were cases when it even has led to death. The thing is that infection can go to the “cavernous sinus”. In other words this is an air cell located behind the eye. After that it can advance the brain. Dental caries brings lots of inconveniences. Not mentioning drilling and filling procedures, the disease can affect one’s speech, diet, well-being and the whole quality of life.

Here the latest information that is connected with tooth decay will be explored. It is crucial to know about this problem, what causes it, how it is connected with acids and sugars, the ways to find out, avoid the issue and take care of the mouth cavity. New ways to diagnose and find out the impact of fluoride in avoiding tooth decay will be discussed later on. We will also tell you about the latest options to avoid the issue and treat your teeth.

Actually, dental caries is the second most wide-spread disease around the globe. The first place is taken by the usual cold.

Painful, Epidemic, Costly, but Preventable Decay

The variety of oral diseases spread from usual cavities to cancer. They are quite painful and cause disability for millions and millions of people around the globe. You should know that most every one of them can be avoided.

Tooth caries can be called a global epidemic. It affects young kids most of all. Decay can be detected in the early years. In America, this issue touches more than ¼ of kids from the age of 2 till the age of 5 and half of the ages from 12 to 15.

The problem is spread among the children in low-income families most of all. Statistics has shown that almost half of children between the age from 6-19 in the families with low income have suffered from caries. Not counting pain and dysfunctions, cavities left without treatment can lead to school skipping and different social interactions. Such issues as low weight and even poor outlook are also possible because of the caries. Problems like these may affect a kid’s capacity to succeed in this life. This problem widely affects adults as well. Statistics suggests that the excess of 90% older than 40 have this problem. Speaking of the adults who are older than 60, there are a quarter of them who have lost all teeth and the reason for that is connected with self-esteem that was affected by the disease and problems with nutrition as not every type of food can be consumed due to the problem discussed.

A Dynamic Process – Have a New Look at Tooth Caries

One should clearly understand that the mouth is an ecosystem. Various living organisms interact with any other element that appears in the environment all the time. By the way, the enamel is considered to be the hardest substance found in our body. Teeth consist of this outer covering, called the enamel. Enamel is non-living. An inner core consists of living dentin and has a composition and consistency reminding of a bone. You should know that enamel is rich in minerals and crystalline within its structure. It’s composites are mainly phosphate and calcium.

Saliva washes our teeth like seas and oceans wash the earth. This fluid has proven to be the most remarkable. However it is not discussed often. Saliva possesses lots of qualities that help our teeth to stay healthy. It maintains a neutral environment in our mouth, or, in other words, it keeps a balance between bases and acids. Therefore, its role is crucial.

Acidity can be measured by the level of “pH”. It varies from 1 to 14. While pH is not normally basic, pH 1 is not normally acidic. pH 7 is considered to be normal.

The environment of mouth cavity has lots of bacteria inside. Just imagine, the number of bacteria inside our mouth exceeds the number of people who have ever lived on our planet! Some of these bacteria can become the reason of tooth caries.

Remember, Village Dental Medicine will be able to help you in case you experience any tooth decay problems including caries treatment.