ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DENTAL CAVITIES

It has been so many years that we are into dental practice but the one question that is always in the minds of our patients is that why do they get DENTAL CAVITIES.

The patients are always keen to know about know they can prevent dental cavities to develop because of the major fear of sitting on the dental chair and getting their teeth treated.

So let’s discuss DENTAL CAVITIES in detail.

DENTAL CAVITIES are basically the decay of the teeth or rotting of the teeth.

So, Human Tooth is composed of three layers of tissues namely, ENAMEL, DENTIN AND PULP.

The Enamel being the hardest, followed by the Dentin and later, the Pulp, which is a soft tissue and has got all the Blood supply and Nerve Supply, which means that the tooth gets all the sensation due to the PULP Tissue.

HOW DOES THE DECAY HAPPEN?

God has designed every part of our body so beautifully that if maintained properly, our body has got all the power to prevent itself from any sort of ailment including tooth decay or Dental cavities.

This is why, the outer covering of the teeth is made to be the HARDEST in order to make it resistant to everything. But since Enamel and Dentin are both living tissues, like every other tissue, even they have a tendency to get decayed.

MECHANISM OF TOOTH DECAY

When food particles get lodged between the teeth and if the BASIC ORAL HYGIENE MEASURES (TOOTH BRUSHING AND FLOSSING are not being carried out by the patients, effectively. The decomposition of the stuck food particles begins to happen by the MICRO-ORGANISMS which eventually leads to TOOTH-DECAY and BAD SMELL predominantly, and various other problems in the Mouth.

The tooth decay starts with the decay of the ENAMEL, progresses slowly to DENTIN and later involves the PULP as well, which is when the patients commonly start experiencing symptoms like PAIN and SENSITIVITY.

DIET AND CAVITIES – IS THERE ANY RELATION ?

There actually exists a direct correlation between the kind of food that the patients consume and their tendency to get Dental cavities.

The Micro-Organisms that are responsible for the tooth decay thrive on ‘SUGARS’. So the longer the time sugars are available in the oral cavity, the more are the chances of the tooth decay.

To list down :

• Sticky Food
• Chocolates, Toffees and Sugar candies
• Soda
• Carbonated Drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc.)
• Sweetened juices

These are the kind of food stuffs that have a tendency of getting stuck on the teeth and do not get cleaned by the saliva naturally, thus may lead to tooth decay if oral hygiene is not being maintained by the patient.

This is why, I, Dr. Aayushi Narang (Endodontist at DENTEM), and Dr. Gunita (Director at DENTEM), always advice our patients that there is no harm in eating chocolates or consuming sweets in general, provided the BASIC ORAL HYGIENE PRACTICES are being done properly and consistently.

IS EVERYBODY IS AT AN EQUAL RISK OF GETTING DENTAL CAVITIES ?

The teeth are made in such a way naturally that they have got pits, grooves and fissures. Some people are naturally more prone to get cavities because these pits, fissures and grooves are narrower and deeper than general, thus there are more chances of them not getting adequately cleaned by basic oral hygiene measures like tooth brushing.

HOW TO PREVENT DENTAL CAVITIES

• TOOTH BRUSHING : It is recommended that patients do tooth brushing at least twice daily, once in the morning and once before going to bed.
• FLOSSING
• MOUTH RINSING
• VISITING YOUR DENTIST : It is recommended to get a dental checkup done once in 3 months, or 6 months at the MAX so that everything can be addressed in the initial stages.

Looking forward to serve you at DENTEM.

Dr. Aayushi Narang

MDS( Restorative Dentist and Endodontist)