What are cavities?
Other explanations for tooth decay include cavities, which are largely dependent on a person’s lifestyle, what they eat on a daily basis, how they care for their teeth, the amount of fluoride in their water, and the toothpaste they use.
Heredity may also sometimes cause the decay of teeth. Although cavities usually take place among children, adults also remain at risk.
Types of Cavities: Individuals face the following types of cavities:
Coronal Cavity
This is a common tooth decay problem in both adults and children. These are present in between two teeth or on chewing surfaces.
Root Cavity
This type of problem occurs only in adults. With an increase in age, gums recede to expose the root portion present in a tooth. In addition, as enamel to cover roots remains absent, such exposed tooth areas decay easily.
Recurrent Decay Problem
This type of decay takes place across already existing dental fillings and dental crowns. The reason for this is that such areas tend to accumulate plaque, which ultimately causes tooth decay.
Risks of Cavities
Adults remain at huge risk of cavities if they deal with the problem of dry mouth, i.e., a condition that takes place because of a lack of saliva. Moreover, medical experts have said that cavities or tooth decay are severe problems.
If it remained in untreated condition, a cavity may cause damage to teeth and kill various delicate nerves present at the tooth’s center. Hence, a cavity further causes an abscess, i.e., infection at the tip of the tooth root.
Once an abscess forms, dentists may treat it only with a complicated dental procedure, such as surgery, a root canal, or tooth extraction.
What Causes Cavities in Mouth
Most people do not know about the causes of cavities. Even they show eagerness to know about ways to avoid the common oral problem, as it leads to pain, discomfort, and loss of tooth (in some cases).
For this reason, experienced dentists have said that a cavity starts when bacteria inflict damage on teeth’s hard surfaces, and destruction will reach deep layers if individuals keep it unchecked or untreated.
In order to avoid the attack of bacteria, one should make sure to take regular care of their teeth and follow a healthy diet plan so that they can easily ward off decay from pearly white teeth.
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Stages of Cavity Formation
Plaque Formation
Plaque formation is the first step associated with dental decay. Dentists said that few strains of naturally occurring bacteria remain in your mouth whenever you intake sugary food items or drinks.
When sugar fails to clean the teeth, bacteria feed on it and produce harmful acids. These acids combine with saliva, food particles, and bacteria to form a sticky film, i.e., plaque, covering your teeth.
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Initial Stage of Cavity
Once sticky film, i.e., plaque, forms, acids further act to wear off the enamel, i.e., the hard outer portion of the tooth. Enamel contains many tiny openings, representing the initial stage associated with dental cavities.
Later on, bacteria and acid attack a soft substance present in teeth referred to as dentin (the next layer after enamel).
Advanced Stage of Cavity
Plaque forms, and the bacteria consistently damage the tooth until and unless it’s inner material, i.e., pulp, affects it adversely. In this advanced stage, irritation of the pulp and bone supporting the tooth takes place.
When tooth decay approaches at this point, individuals will experience the problems of sensitivity, pain when biting any food, and toothache.
Now, in case the invasion of bacteria causes the body to send blood cells to fight with it, you would face a tooth abscess and thereby undergo root canal treatment.
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Cavities between teeth
Cavities in between your teeth form whenever breakdown of the outer yet calcified tooth enamel takes place from bacteria found usually in the human mouth.
Bacteria stick to your teeth embedded inside a hard substance called calculus or dental plaque that deposits on teeth. Plaque forms in between human teeth because of the inability of toothbrushes to clean various, barely reaching mouth areas properly.
Hence, bacteria break down carbohydrates and sugar, leading to an acid attack to break down tooth enamel and create cavities.
Bacteria that Cause Cavities
Mutans, streptococci, and lactobacilli are common types of bacteria related to dental cavities.
In addition, cariogenic bacteria also remain present in plaque formed in teeth, but they remain in relatively low concentrations to create problems until and unless there is a shift in balance.
This is because of local environmental changes, like biofilm removal and frequent sugar consumption.
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How to heal cavities
Doctors recommend their patients heal cavities by following some simple and easy steps, which include:
Removal of Sugar
Individuals who want healthy teeth free from cavities should avoid or reduce the consumption of sugar in their regular diets. This habit not only helps in the prevention of the feeding of oral bacteria but thereby allows the flow of oral fluids in a healthy way.
In addition, sugary components are acidic to allow decalcification and demineralization of teeth’s structural contents.
Consumption of Foods Rich in Nutrients
People should definitely consume fat-soluble minerals and vitamins to beat the problem of tooth decay forever.
A diet consisting of vegetables, particularly green and leafy vegetables, and food items containing high amounts of fat, like avocado and coconut oil, in combination with seeds and nuts, would create an ideal diet to deal with tooth decay efficiently.
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Oil Pulling Method
Oil pulling has always been an excellent way to perform oral detoxification. In this, you only have to swish coconut oil of only one tablespoon in the mouth for a period of about 20 minutes. After this, you have to spit this oil in the trash.
Even though you may choose to apply this technique for about 5 minutes, if you consider 20 minutes to be a long time,. Oil pulling not only helps in the healing of cavities, but it also helps in the treatment of gingivitis and headaches.
Strictly Avoid Phytic Acid
Phytic acid acts as an enzyme inhibitor and a mineral blocker and is usually found in nuts, grains, beans, and seeds, which are not organic in nature.
It causes severe health issues, like osteoporosis and mineral deficiencies. It prevents a person from absorption of minerals present in the food while leaching minerals out of the body, teeth, and bones.
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How to Prevent Cavities in Mouth
If people and kids abide by a few straightforward and easy steps, they can prevent cavities in their mouths:
Use of Fluoride
Fluoride implies a mineral that prevents the progression of tooth decay. It may even stop or reverse early tooth decay. The main functions of fluoride include:
- Prevention of mineral loss present in enamel of tooth and replacement of mineral loss
- Reduction in bacteria’s ability to make acid
How to Get Fluoride
Although patients may get fluoride by simply brushing with a special type of toothpaste that contains fluoride, if any child or patient requires additional fluoride, dentists may go for:
- Application of a varnish and fluoride gel to the surface of a tooth
- Prescribe special tablets, which contain fluoride
- Recommend the application of a fluoride mouth rinse
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Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are also effective ways to avoid cavity problems. Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings painted over the mouth’s chewing surfaces of the molars or the back portion of the permanent teeth.
How Sealants are Helpful
The chewing surfaces present in the backward portion of human teeth are uneven and rough, as they have various small grooves and pits. Hence, bacteria and food items stuck inside grooves and pits and stayed there for a long time.
This is because the bristles of a toothbrush fail to brush them in an easy way. Here comes the role of dental sealants, which cover chewing surfaces and create a strong barrier that provides proper protection to teeth and prevents the trapping of food substances and bacteria there.
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