Tooth decay, also known as dental cavities, is one of the chronic dental diseases. Tooth decay is cavities inside the teeth that occur for various reasons such as improper care of the mouth and teeth and lack of dental hygiene. Even though tooth decay is a progressive disease, it can be prevented and even through simple oral and dental hygiene, it can be returned to its original state. Tooth decay progresses rapidly, especially in milk teeth.
If dental cavities are not treated well, they penetrate deep into the inner layers of the tooth and sometimes even into the nerve of the tooth and cause severe pain in the patient’s tooth. This may lead to abscesses or other dental problems. Decay may spread between baby and permanent teeth in the mouth. If you are suffering from tooth decay and toothache and you live in Ontario, it is better to see an experienced dentist in Toronto.
Tooth Decay
The presence of white spots on the teeth indicates the beginning of tooth decay. The color of decayed teeth in the early stages is usually light brown. It is worth noting that tooth decay can be treated and prevented at this stage. Tooth enamel can repair and regenerate itself with the help of minerals in oral saliva and fluoride in toothpaste ingredients and other sources.
Canadian specialists in Toronto advise patients to treat tooth decay in the early stages because if the decay continues, more minerals will be lost. Tooth enamel usually weakens over time, breaks down and causes tooth decay. Decay is a type of permanent tooth damage that a dental professional can usually treat through fillings or other dental services.
Signs and symptoms
Some symptoms of tooth decay include:
Toothache
The pain caused by a decayed tooth may become very severe and spread to the ears, eyes, and head. This pain is very excruciating and often causes sleep disturbance. Toothache may be aggravated by eating.
Increased tooth sensitivity
A decayed tooth may become more sensitive to eating and drinking, especially if the food or drink is very cold or hot, this causes severe pain.
Bad breath
Bad breath indicates that tooth decay has reached the advanced stage. This usually occurs by reducing the cleansing mechanism caused by dry mouth and gases released by bacteria in the mouth.
The other symptoms
- People with tooth decay often complain of a bitter or unpleasant taste in their mouth in addition to dry mouth.
- The color of a decayed tooth is usually brown or gray, and black spots are often seen in the decayed area.
- Tooth fracture and tooth filling falling out are other symptoms of tooth decay.
Who is at risk of tooth decay?
The presence of bacteria in the mouth provides the basis for the formation of tooth decay. Factors that increase the risk of tooth decay include:
- High levels of bacteria that cause tooth decay.
- High consumption of sweets, carbohydrates and sugar
- Drinking water containing low or no fluoride
- Poor oral hygiene
- Decreased saliva flow
- Age (children and older adults are more susceptible to tooth decay)
- High consumption of sweets, carbohydrates and sugar
Treatment of tooth decay
The treatment of tooth decay depends on the severity of the decay and the special conditions of the child and environmental conditions. With the help of different types of treatment methods, decay can be removed and the health and natural condition can be restored to the teeth. Usually, the type of treatment depends on the type of milk or permanent teeth. Types of treatment methods for tooth decay are:
Fluoride therapy
If the decayed tooth is detected early and before it destroys the protective and external surface of the tooth, i.e. tooth enamel, the decay can be prevented or removed with fluoride therapy or even brushing with toothpaste containing special fluoride. With this, the parts of the tooth enamel that have started to erode due to decayed teeth can be treated and returned to their original state.
The amount of fluoride in professional dental treatments is much higher than the fluoride in toothpastes available in pharmacies or ordinary drinking water. Fluoride therapy does not last more than a few minutes, and usually in this process, fluoride is in the form of varnish, gel, liquid, and foam, which is placed directly on the teeth or in special dental trays.
Fill
One of the most common ways to treat tooth decay is filling. This type of treatment is done in caries that are not very deep. To begin with, the decayed area must be shaved first, then special tooth filling material is placed on the shaved area so that the health and natural beauty of the tooth returns to its original state.
Dental Covers
When the decay is so severe that it has reached the nerve of the milk teeth, the tooth cover should be done. Depending on the conditions, the dental cover may be made of ceramic or customized and made of stainless steel and replace the crown of the milk tooth.
In order to maintain the health of the teeth, the dentist must first shave the decayed part of the tooth completely, then fill it with special dental materials and finally cover it with a dental veneer, thus repairing the decay and restoring the beauty of the tooth.
Root canal
If the tooth decay is very deep so that the pulp of the permanent or milk tooth has an abscess, in this case, denervation is necessary before covering the tooth with metal or ceramic materials.
In this case, because the decay has reached the nerve of the tooth, the tooth is severely damaged or infected. In such cases, apart from tooth extraction, there is only one other way, and that is nerve extraction. To begin with, the dentist first cleans the decayed part of the tooth pulp, then treats the root canal infection by prescribing medicine. After restoring the health of the inside of the tooth, the dentist fills the shaved part of the pulp with special dental materials and completely treats the tooth.
Pull tooth
The only way to treat milk teeth that have abscessed due to severe caries is tooth extraction. Permanent teeth, which are severely decayed due to lack of attention and hygiene, so that they cannot be treated even through nerve extraction, tooth extraction will not be a solution. After the dentist pulls the damaged tooth, the empty space of the tooth causes the other teeth to move as well.
Therefore, to prevent such a case, it is recommended to use a space retainer for milk teeth or a bridge and implant in permanent teeth.
Prevention
Preventive care requires proper oral and dental hygiene at home, as well as regular dental examinations at the dentist. In this section, we point out some tips that you can follow at home or during your dental checkups to prevent tooth decay and improve your oral health:
- Eat healthy foods that contain little sugar.
- Brush and floss your teeth at least 2 times a day.
- Use mouthwash or mouth sanitizer regularly.
- Visit the dentist regularly for examination and cleaning of your teeth.
- Fluoride regularly, especially if your drinking water contains a small amount of fluoride.
- If your posterior teeth have not been filled or decayed, it is better to use dental sealants (materials that block tooth grooves). Dental sealants play an effective role in protecting children’s teeth.