Tooth decay: causes, treatments, and photos

Dental science distinguishes a lot of diseases that are associated with all sorts of gums and teeth damages. The vast majority of them appear due to insufficient hygiene measures and pathogens.

At the same time, they are not so scary. After all, almost all of it can be easily and quickly cured by the use of modern drugs and various modern methods of treatment.

Finding a small carious cavity, we do not worry too much. After all, an expert can cope with this problem in just a single visit, purifying and sealing the tooth. The same can be said about the lost teeth; there is a prosthetic specialist in every dental clinic.

However, there is another disease, delivering a lot of trouble – decayed teeth. Quite often there appear several teeth with decay at the same time. One cannot fix the situation by just filling and bleaching.

Adults

Most often this disease is diagnosed among the adult population. This is due to the fact that over time there is a large number of factors that affect the whole body and oral health in particular.

One of the most common diseases in dentistry is dental caries. Basically, it stands for decay. Tooth decay begins to emerge from the top – the crown part.

However, in some cases, the process may begin not with a crown, on the bottom – roots. In such cases, people notice it much later and it is much more difficult to cope with the consequences later.

Destruction stages and symptoms

There are several stages of the disease. Each one is manifested in different ways.

• Bad breath, at first, appears only occasionally, and then becomes constant, even during a conversation. Most often it is a source of plaque, containing a large number of pathogenic bacteria.
• With further development, there might appear spots on the visible parts – enamel.
• Then there are black areas. Sometimes such damage, manifest itself in the form of black spots, and can be found at the root. However, in this case, a conventional surface inspection can not notice them. In order to find out where the process began, X-ray should be done.
• In the next phase, when the black spots are replaced by the formations of small cavities in the crown or another part of the tooth, the body begins to actively signal the emergence of the problem of the unpleasant, and later painful sensations.
• After that, if the patient still has not addressed to the doctor, the pain increases and can become unbearable, sharp and very long. This means that decay process reached the inner part – the pulp. Now, the soft tissue of the tooth containing the nerve bundle, blood, and lymph vessels were startled.
• If the disease started with a crown part, after the destruction of the nerve, the pain may disappear, and the decay will spread already on the roots. If on the contrary – the tooth may simply fall out, but if not – it will have to be removed, along with the root.

All this causes a quite difficult life, but also creates negative consequences for the whole organism and influences on the performance of individual systems and organs.

Why does it appear?

There are quite many reasons for the beginning of a process of tooth decay. All of them can be divided into several groups or categories, depending on whether factors are internal or external.

The first – the reasons that appear due to the fault of the person

• Smoking. It occupies the top position because of the great importance. The fact is that due to smoking metabolic processes in the tissues of the oral cavity, particularly teeth slow down. Therefore, they cannot resist the adverse effects in the form of a plaque, bacteria and so on. Additionally, the substances contained in cigarette smoke themselves contribute to the destruction of enamel.
• Other bad habits, including alcohol and drug use. This greatly weakens the entire body and impairs its ability to restore and protect.
• Pretty low culture of food and frequent consumption of unhealthy foods. Their list includes not only those which have a bad effect on the body, but also those that have a direct effect on the enamel – all kinds of sweets, a large number of fruits and berries that have high acidity.
• You can also add here wrong, unhealthy lifestyle. Its effects have an indirect impact on dental health by reducing the protective forces of the whole organism.
• Poor hygiene also plays a huge role.

The second group is the external circumstances that do not depend on the patient

• The poor environmental situation in most areas inhabited by man. These include air pollution, poor water, which contains large amounts of harmful impurities and additives, as well as the frequent shortage of fluoride in it.
• A very important role is played by genetics. After all the problems with the enamel or tooth development generally increase the risk of decay.
• Having some (temporary and infrequent) physiological conditions. This includes a period of intense growth in adolescents, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. At this time, the hormonal balance is changing the body and all the forces are aimed at completely different purpose.

The third group – the existence of general and dental diseases

• Periodontal disease of tissues. This can be gingivitis, periodontitis, and periodontal disease, which are more complicated to treat and have stronger effects on the teeth.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, thyroid, infectious diseases related to oral health, and others.
• The presence of cysts in the gums near the roots. This is a formation with thick walls that can be filled with pus. If the infection goes on, then decayed teeth are exposed to it as well.

In children

Such unpleasant and an even dangerous phenomenon occurs not only among adults. Quite often, even small children may have tooth decay. Moreover, it can occur before the entire series of primary teeth are formed.

Often parents are very scared of the speed of this process. After just a few months after the eruption, a decay can reach already obvious and difficult stage.

For children, there are no special individual causes of this disease. They are the same as for adults. However, some of them are more important.

• Firstly, this is a huge consumption of candy and other sweets, to which children are not indifferent.
• Secondly, children often pay not enough time to hygiene practices. Therefore, all the disruptive factors are much stronger.
• Thirdly, there is one of the reasons, which can be roughly attributed to heredity. This is an unhealthy diet and the consumption by the mother during pregnancy any harmful substances and unresolved, including drugs.
• Fourth, the milk teeth are far more susceptible to both external and internal factors. That is why all the processes that contribute to decay, are faster.

In pregnancy

Pregnancy is a very special condition of a female organism. Literally everything goes through a restructuring, changing hormonal balance. This is because all the forces and other nutrients are maximally given to the unborn child, and the woman begins to experience a lack of it.

In particular, the development of the baby requires pulling over of existing in the body calcium and phosphorus. That is why, if not timely to make up for this deficiency, often at this time a rapid deterioration of teeth begins.

The begun process of decay is a constant source of infection that may go further and damage the baby or adversely affect its development.

Therefore, even with the appearance of the very first symptoms that accompany the initial stage of the disease, one should immediately see a specialist. Many doctors -dentists, and gynecologists – call the second trimester the most favorable and safe time for therapeutic dental procedures.

However, if signs of the disease appeared earlier, you should not put off a visit to the clinic, because the damage from a running decay process can be much greater than from the treatment itself.

The consequences for the body

Apart from just external troubles (repulsive appearance, odor) that affect the psychological state of a person, it should be noted that tooth decay can negatively affect the body as a whole.

Doctors even have traced the relationship between this disease and the unsatisfactory state of the entire skeletal system. It can cause arthritis and polyarthritis later.

Pathogenic microbes, invariably accompanied by decay, carried by blood and saliva throughout the body. As a result, the internal organs, which at first glance, totally unrelated to the infection in the mouth are affected or begin to work improperly. There is also the likelihood of overflow rotting to the bone, forming a jaw, then the brain may be touched.

How to deal with this disease?

In any case, for the treatment of decayed teeth integrated approach is used. First of all, be sure to set the initial cause of the disease. After that, be sure to assign appropriate drugs and procedures.

This is necessary because if you do not eliminate the cause, then treating the symptoms will only give short-term results.

Along with the elimination of the causes and the necessary dental treatment is carried out. Depending on the stage of the disease, these measures may be different. However, in any case, centers of infection are found and are certainly eliminated.

The range of therapeutic measures includes avoiding harmful habits, the restructuring of a diet, strengthening of hygiene measures.

And do not forget about prevention and proper care, because it is easier to prevent any disease!