What is tooth decay? Causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention
Tooth decay is a fairly common disease among Vietnamese people today. Not only children but also adults are also subject to high rates of tooth decay. So what is tooth decay? How do I know I have tooth decay? Are there any effective treatments and preventions? The answer will be right in this article!
1/ What is tooth decay? Overview of dental caries
You wonder what is tooth decay? This is a way to say that the condition of the tooth is damaged, the loss of hard tissue is attacked by bacteria formed from plaque on the teeth, leading to the demineralization process. From there, on the teeth form small black holes.
Tooth decay is not only a common disease in our country but also around the world. The disease can occur at any age, from children a few months old to teenagers, young people and even the elderly. If the disease is not treated promptly and properly, it can cause serious effects.
2/ The causes of tooth decay are less likely to be suspected
There are many causes of tooth decay that few people expect, such as:
- Not brushing regularly: This can cause teeth and oral cavity not to be cleaned, creating a favorable environment for harmful bacteria to grow.
Improper brushing: This can also be the cause of tooth decay. When brushing, brush along the teeth or in a circular motion and use a brush with thin, soft bristles to clean between the teeth. On the other hand, make sure the toothbrush is wide enough to be able to clean both the front and back of the teeth and the surface of the tongue. - Eating too much sweets: It will cause plaque to stick to the teeth, creating conditions for bacteria to grow, leading to cavities in the lower jaw, upper jaw, front teeth, …
- Regularly snacking, soft drinks contain a lot of acids that are harmful to teeth: Put teeth at higher risk of decay
- Lack of water in the body: Leading to dry mouth, the amount of saliva secreted is not enough to wash away food and plaque on the teeth.
- Moreover, saliva also contains a lot of substances that can protect teeth
- Broken, weak teeth: This condition will create conditions for bacteria to easily attack the tooth surface, forming stubborn plaque and causing tooth decay.
- Person-to-person contact: Contact through household utensils, sharing dishes, etc. with people with tooth decay can also spread disease.
- Digestive disorders, erratic eating: This is the ideal condition to promote the development of caries in the lower jaw, upper jaw,…
- Receding gums: When the gums recede, it can cause plaque at the roots of the teeth to form, creating bacteria, attacking the dentin, even the roots. Thereby causing tooth decay, even many other more dangerous diseases
3/ Stages of tooth decay
Plaque formation: Initially, plaque will appear on the teeth due to the process of eating too much sugar and starchy foods but not being cleaned. These bacteria will begin to eat the remaining sugar and starch and form plaque on the teeth. Over time, plaque gradually hardens to form tartar. This is a shield for bacteria because this tartar layer is very hard and difficult to remove
The first stage: In the plaque contains acids. This amount of acid will remove the minerals present in the enamel and outside of the teeth. Gradually causing the teeth to erode and appear small holes in the enamel. When tooth enamel has been worn away, bacteria and acids can more easily attack the inner layers of the tooth or the dentin itself. In the dentin contains small tubes and they are in direct contact with the tooth nerve, so it is very sensitive
Stage of severe caries: The more advanced the tooth decay, the stronger the attack of bacteria and acids. They continue to move through the tooth, next to the tooth material and inside the pulp, which contains blood vessels and nerves. When tooth decay eats into the pulp, the pulp chamber becomes swollen and irritated. The swelling is expanding but there is not enough space to contain it, leading to the compression of the nerves and causing pain for the person with tooth decay.
4/ Symptoms of tooth decay
Symptoms of tooth decay can vary from person to person, depending on the extent and location. For new people, it is often difficult to recognize. When tooth decay is more severe, the symptoms of tooth decay appear quite obvious, specifically:
- Teeth hurt
- Teeth become more sensitive than before when eating hard, hot, cold foods, …
- Observing the image of tooth decay, you will see holes in the teeth, large and small depending on the case
- On the surface of the teeth appears brown, black or milky white because the teeth have worn away calcium enamel and lost minerals
- If you have caries in your molars, it will hurt when you chew and if you have caries in your front teeth, it will hurt when you bite
- Teeth discolored, turn darker, tooth pulp is affected
5/ How dangerous is tooth decay?
Effects on oral health: Although many people know what tooth decay is, they may not be aware of the dangers of this disease. When you have tooth decay, first of all, your oral health will be affected. Tooth decay causes the tooth structure to be destroyed, causing pain, sensitivity, and even tooth loss. If tooth decay eats into the pulp, it can lead to pulpitis.
Even, tooth decay can compress and kill the tooth’s nerve, causing the tooth to be deprived of blood supply, leading to death of the pulp and death of the pulp. Finally, when the tissue around the apex is infected with bacteria, there will be inflammation around the apex, tooth abscess. That affects eating and digestion.
Causing loss of aesthetics: Another harmful effect of tooth decay is easily noticeable that is causing loss of aesthetics. On the surface of the tooth with decay will appear black dots, heavier than large and small black holes with different shapes. This makes people with tooth decay feel unnatural when communicating and even causing bad breath.
Bad effect on mental health: Tooth decay can also make patients mentally worse because they are tormented by toothaches accompanied by headaches. This condition occurs often, causing the patient to lose sleep, limit eating and be weak, mentally depressed.
Bad effect on psychology: Psychology can also affect if you have dental caries. People with tooth decay are often irritable and frustrated. Children with the disease often feel anorexia, skip meals, fuss, lose weight, reduce resistance.
Danger to life: if tooth decay is not treated early and properly, it can gradually turn into pulpitis, which is more dangerous than necrosis. When the necrosis spreads, it will make the maxillofacial area infected. If the infection is severe, it can lead to bacteremia or spread to the mediastinum, life-threatening. Therefore, when you have tooth decay, it is best to visit your dentist immediately for advice and find a reasonable solution.
6/ Home remedies for tooth decay
There are many ways to prevent tooth decay. The most effective can include the following methods:
6.1 How to treat tooth decay with salt water
Gargling with salt water every day is an effective way to prevent tooth decay. You can choose to use Dr.Muối products to rinse your mouth. This is a completely natural mouthwash, made from natural sea salt, with a concentration of 0.9% NaCl, completely free of alcohol or any chemicals and is not spicy. The product is suitable for use by adults and children 6 years and older without dilution.
6.2 How to treat tooth decay with eagle leaves
In the leaves contains substances such as flavonoids, saponins, phytosterols and tannins that have antiseptic effects, killing some types of bacteria. Helps reduce symptoms of inflammation. You should use the young leaves of the balsam puree with sea salt and filtered water. Use this solution as a mouthwash every day, before going to bed. This is an effective way to cure tooth decay.
6.3 How to treat tooth decay with guava leaves
Guava leaves contain a lot of Astringents – good anti-inflammatory and antibacterial compounds that help the gums become firm and reduce the pain caused by tooth decay very effectively. What to do when you have tooth decay? You use washed guava leaves and put them in a pounding bowl with sea salt and a little warm water, then filter only the water. Use a small cotton swab to soak the mixture on the tooth decay.
In addition, you can also boil guava leaves with boiling water as a mouthwash solution every day, it will relieve toothache and inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay.
6.4 How to treat tooth decay with perilla leaves
Perilla and basil are medicinal herbs that, in addition to the ability to eliminate bad breath, also help relieve pain when suffering from tooth decay quite well. Perilla leaves have many anti-inflammatory and antibacterial components. The way to cure tooth decay quickly with perilla is to pound water with warm water and then use a cotton swab to dip the water into the tooth decay, to avoid causing bacteria to grow on a large scale.
7/ Dental caries treatment methods
7.1 Treating tooth decay with fillings
What to do when you have tooth decay? It is best to quickly find a dental clinic to perform a filling, also known as a dental restoration. This treatment is suitable for those whose decayed teeth have passed the earliest stage. There are many different dental fillings, such as tooth-colored composite resin, porcelain composite,…
7.2 Treating tooth decay with porcelain crowns
In cases where the patient has too much caries, the tooth structure is almost destroyed, the pulp is also affected, but the tooth root is still strong, so you should choose a cosmetic porcelain crown for treatment.
When detecting tooth decay, it is necessary to visit a reputable dentist or a specialized hospital for a doctor to check your specific condition. From there, appropriate treatment plans will be devised to avoid increasingly serious consequences, endangering the patient’s health and life.
One of the best ways to prevent tooth decay is to clean your teeth regularly and properly. For oral hygiene and effective tooth decay treatment, Dr.Muoi mouthwash is an indispensable product of every family.
Dr.Salt mouthwash is an effective oral care product
Currently, the product can be easily purchased at e-commerce sites such as Lazada, Shopee, Tiki or Vinmart, Bach Hoa Xanh, Guardian, An Khang pharmacy, Long Chau pharmacy, Phanolink and Dr.Muoi’s website. .
Through this article, you must have understood what tooth decay is, how to recognize and the causes that lead to this disease. Take the right measures to prevent and treat tooth decay to help keep your teeth healthy, fresh breath as well as avoid dangerous complications that the disease can cause.
You Can Refer To More Articles:
Should I wash my nose with physiological saline?
Instructions for Self-healing Sinusitis with Physiological Salt Water
Tips for Treating Allergic Rhinitis with Physiological Salt Water Simple and Effective
Instructions on how to hydrate with salt water to treat bad breath
