According to the current data published by the World Health Organisation, around 2.3 billion people worldwide are predicted to suffer from dental cavities. Dental cavities are widespread and often ignored until they become too painful. Owing to this, it becomes necessary to have a deeper insight into this disease and what can be done to prevent and treat dental cavities. This blog will answer all your questions about dental caries, so keep reading ahead.

What Are Dental Cavities?

Dental cavities, also known as dental decay or dental caries by dental professionals, lead to the formation of a hole or a cavity in your tooth. Dental decay is a bacterial disease of the teeth that destroys the tooth structure.

Our teeth comprise three layers: enamel, dentine, and dental pulp. Enamel is a highly mineralized and outermost covering of the tooth. Enamel functions to protect the tooth and resist dental decay. The second layer of the tooth is dentin, which is a little less mineralized than enamel. The third layer of the tooth forms the core of the teeth and is known as dental pulp. The dental pulp is formed by nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue of the tooth and is responsible for the tooth’s vitality.

Dental cavities begin from the outermost layer of the tooth surface and enamel and progress to involve the deeper layer if not treated at an appropriate time.

Since initial forms of dental decay do not lead to any pain or symptoms, dental cavities can go undiagnosed for a long time. Therefore, a regular dental check-up is recommended. Your dentist can pinpoint even the slightest changes and treat them accordingly before the disease progresses to its more severe forms.

If you have teeth, you are susceptible to dental cavities. Dental cavities can affect baby and adult teeth; there is no exception. Therefore, dentists worldwide stress the importance of practising good oral hygiene and scheduling regular dental appointments.

It can be surprising if your dentist diagnoses you with a dental cavity during a routine oral health examination. However, fear not, as dental cavities are easily treatable, especially if they are diagnosed early.

Moreover, with the advances in dental sciences, there are many ways in which your dentist can help you prevent dental caries from occurring in the future.

What Causes Dental Cavities?

Dental cavities or decay are caused by bacteria that take refuge in plaque, a sticky, whitish-yellow film that adheres to the tooth surface. Plaque forms every day, and it must be appropriately removed. This is why dentists recommend brushing twice a day and flossing.

Faulty oral hygiene practices encourage the growth of this disease-causing plaque. A high-sugar diet also contributes to bacterial overgrowth. Our mouth naturally hosts millions of bacteria; while most are harmless, some are disease-causing.

Our body has various checkpoints that ensure the proper balance of these bacteria, proper oral harmony, and a disease-free mouth. However, any disturbance in the oral harmony leads to the proliferation of disease-causing bacteria. These disease-causing bacteria metabolize the sugars from our food and release acidic by-products into the mouth, leading to dental cavities. Some of the most commonly responsible bacteria for dental cavities are Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli.

The acid these bacteria produce attacks the tooth structure and wears off the enamel, causing tiny openings on the enamel surface. Dental decay starts as a whitish, chalky patch on the enamel surface. After infecting the enamel, the bacteria make their way to the second layer of the tooth, the dentin, which is less resistant to dental cavities than enamel. Once the dentine is affected, you may experience tooth sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet and sour foods and beverages.

If a dentist is still not treating the dental cavity at this point, the infection will progress to infect the tooth’s innermost layer, the pulp. The bacterial acid irritates the pulp and leads to inflammation, which causes pain. The bacterial infection can even further infect the jawbone and nearby soft tissues.

Risk Factors For Dental Cavities

None of us is immune to dental cavities. If you have teeth, you may end up having a dental cavity. Dental cavities affect baby teeth as well as adult teeth; therefore, it is important to avoid the risk factors that can give rise to dental decay.

  • Dental cavities are known to affect the back teeth (molars and premolars). Back teeth are responsible for breaking the food we eat into tiny particles. In addition, they have pits and fissures that can harbour bacteria and food debris. Moreover, cleaning the back teeth is difficult, and some areas can be commonly missed during regular oral hygiene practices.
  • A diet rich in sticky, sugary foods and beverages like candies, cakes, cookies, chocolates, dried fruits, colas, etc., also puts you at a greater risk for dental cavities.
  • Infants who are fed sugary milk, juice, or formula just before bedtime are also susceptible to dental decay. The sugars from these liquids tend to adhere to the tooth structure, damaging it. This can affect the baby’s entire dentition and is known as nursing bottle caries.
  • Improper and irregular tooth brushing and inadequate flossing lead to plaque accumulation, which is the main causative factor of dental decay.
  • A deficiency of fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, also puts people at a greater risk of dental cavities. Fluoride strengthens teeth’ structures and makes them resistant to caries.
  • Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is also a risk factor for dental decay. Saliva serves various functions, including protecting and keeping your mouth clean of food debris. It contains different enzymes that have an antibacterial and shielding function against dental decay. Dry mouth can also be a symptom of many systematic diseases and even cancer treatments.
  • GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) and eating disorders like bulimia cause stomach acid to come into the oral cavity. The stomach acid attacks the tooth structure and continuously wears off the enamel, making the tooth weak and susceptible to decay.

Symptoms Of Dental Cavities

Signs and symptoms of dental cavities may include –

  • One of the most common reasons a person visits a dental clinic is a toothache. Toothache due to dental decay can be continuous, intermittent, dull, aching, or throbbing.
  • Toothache, which intensifies when you sleep or lie down.
  • Tooth pain and discomfort when biting down or chewing.
  • Presence of holes or cavities in your tooth or teeth.
  • Brownish and blackish discolouration.
  • Sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet or sour foods and liquids.
  • Swelling and inflamed gums surrounding the affected tooth.

Complications Of Untreated Dental Cavities

Untreated dental cavities can wreak havoc on the oral and overall health of an individual and cause various complications like –

  • A tooth affected by dental cavities weakens and can easily fracture under normal function.
  • Tooth loss can also be a result of untreated dental cavities.
  • The loss of even a single tooth disturbs oral harmony. This disturbance can lead to pathological shifting of the remaining teeth, promoting further tooth loss.
  • Dental cavities compromise your chewing capability and can even affect speech.
  • The bacteria responsible for dental cavities can reach the tooth’s root and cause a dental abscess. A dental abscess is a pus-filled cavity that forms at the apex of the tooth’s root. The presence of a dental abscess can lead to gum swelling and intense pain.
  • It can also lead to infection of the jawbone.
  • The infection can also progress to involve the nearby soft tissues, which leads to inflammation and swelling. The swelling can further enlarge by involving the facial spaces and, at one point, pressing against the windpipe, leading to difficulty in breathing. Such a situation is a life-threatening medical condition and has to be treated promptly.
  • The bacteria can also find a way to enter the blood vessels of the gum, from where they make their way to the major blood vessels and infect the internal organs. This causes generalized inflammation in the body and sepsis, manifesting as high-grade fever, chills, lethargy, and a generalized feeling of unwellness. Sepsis is also a medical emergency and needs immediate medical attention.

How Are Dental Cavities Treated?

Dental cavities can be treated by various modalities, depending on their extent.

Fluoride Application

If dental decay is caught in its early stages, it can easily be treated with fluorides. Fluoride application can remineralise initial forms of dental decay, which appear as a chalky white patch. Professional fluoride application in the form of a gel or varnish on the affected tooth helps the tooth heal. In addition, our dentist will also suggest you use prescription-strength fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash regularly.

Dental Fillings

Once the dental cavity advances and leads to the formation of a hole, our dentist will recommend dental fillings. Several dental filling materials are used to restore dental cavities. The decayed tooth portion is first cleaned with a dental drill and then restored with dental filling material.

Earlier, the most common material used to restore the dental cavity was silver amalgam. Silver amalgam tends to discolour the tooth, is unaesthetic, and has various drawbacks. Owing to the disadvantages of amalgam, tooth-coloured dental filling materials, like dental composite resins, were introduced. Dental composite resins come in different tooth colour shades. Our dentist will select a shade that matches your natural teeth shade to ensure the best aesthetics. Dental fillings, with the help of composite, provide adequate strength to the tooth structure and rejuvenate your smile.

Indirect Pulp Capping

Our dentist will suggest indirect pulp capping in cases where the dental cavity has reached near the pulp but not invaded it. It is a dental restorative procedure where a layer of calcium hydroxide is applied to the bottom of the cavity after the infected part is removed. The application of calcium hydroxide will lead to the formation of a seal. Then the remaining cavity will be restored as usual with the help of dental cement or composite resins.

Direct Pulp Capping

Direct pulp capping is a conservative approach to restoring teeth if there is a pinpoint exposure to the dental pulp. Our dentist will apply a thin layer of calcium hydroxide to the exposure. This soothes the pulp and seals the exposed defect, reducing pain and sensitivity. The remaining portion of the dental cavity is filled later with dental cement or resins, as usual.

Root Canal Treatment

When the infection reaches the pulp, and the tooth’s roots, root canal treatment becomes the treatment of choice. Root canal treatment is also performed in the presence of a dental abscess or periapical infection.

The process of root canal treatment starts with the removal of the decayed portion of the tooth. Our dentist will use specialized root canal instruments to clear out the infection in the root of the teeth and remove the pulp. Once the tooth is free of infection, the empty room is filled with a root canal-filling material like gutta-percha. Once the root is filled, the top portion of the tooth is restored using dental fillings like cement or composite resins.

Dental Crowns

Extensive dental cavities destroy the bulk of the tooth structure and weaken it. In such a situation, a regular dental filling cannot adequately restore the affected tooth’s shape, size, and function. When the bulk of the tooth structure has been destroyed, our dentist will recommend you go for dental crowns. Dental crowns can be described as tooth caps fixed on the top portion of the tooth. Dental crowns restore decayed teeth’ shape, size, strength, and functions. Dental crowns are customized per individual case and can be made from metal, porcelain, or metal fused to porcelain. Dental crowns also become essential after you have undergone a root canal treatment. Root canal treatments are known to weaken the tooth a little, and therefore, dental crowns are given.

Extraction

If the dental cavity is extensive and has destroyed most of the tooth structure, our dentist will suggest you have it removed. Any dentist will try their best to save the tooth; however, sometimes, it becomes impossible to save the tooth. Therefore, the tooth is extracted, and once the empty socket heals, you can replace it with dental implants, bridges, or dentures.

How Can I Prevent Dental Cavities?

Prevention is always better than cure! So, here are our top tips for preventing dental cavities and maintaining good oral health.

  • Maintaining good oral hygiene is the most important tip we can give you for preventing dental decay. Brush your teeth twice daily, once in the morning and once before bed, using a good-quality, soft-bristled nylon toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste. You must cover every tooth surface and ensure you pay extra attention to the back teeth.
  • Secondly, you must floss daily to remove plaque and debris that may have accumulated between your teeth. Flossing is imperative to maintaining good oral health.
  • Make sure you always rinse your mouth after you eat something.
  • You can also add mouthwash to your regular oral hygiene routine. Mouthwash reaches the difficult-to-reach areas of the mouth and washes away any remaining debris.
  • Schedule regular dental visits, at least once every six months, for a complete oral health check-up. This will enable you to stay ahead of any dental disease.
  • Applying dental sealants on the back teeth helps seal the deep fissures and pits on your back teeth. These areas harbour bacteria and are difficult to clean.
  • Most cities’ water sources are fluoridated. Consume tap water to ensure you meet your fluoride requirements.
  • Try to reduce your consumption of sugary beverages, sodas, and candies. These can destroy your teeth’ enamel and give the disease-causing bacteria an energy source.
  • Have a colourful and balanced diet. This should not come as a surprise, as a healthy diet is the key to living a healthy life. Adding more vegetables and seasonal fruits to your diet will ensure you have proper nutrition. In addition, eating a fibrous diet increases the salivary flow and ensures your mouth remains clean.
  • Consult a dentist for professional fluoride treatment, as it strengthens teeth and resists dental decay.

Follow these simple tips to ensure that your mouth remains disease-free and that you are healthy. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please call us at 519-893-9494. Kitchener Dentist Fairway Dental’s team of friendly dental professionals will assist you in your journey to better oral health.

DISCLAIMER: The advice offered is intended to be informational only and generic in nature. It is in no way offering a definitive diagnosis or specific treatment recommendations for your particular situation. Any advice offered is no substitute for proper evaluation and care by a qualified dentist.