Tooth Decay
One of the most common dental questions that dentists are asked is; what is tooth decay, what causes it, and how do I keep tooth decay away!? So many things happen in the mouth on a daily basis and so many things can happen like bad breath, loss of enamel from GI problems, gum disease and more. It’s essentially one of the most complex places in your body. Tooth decay is pretty complex, some people say it happens because of bad bacteria in the mouth, others say it happens because of the lack of good bacteria in your mouth and the bad bacteria being able to cause things like bad breath and tooth decay, while even more say the only thing that causes tooth decay is... sugar! Let’s be honest here, tooth decay is a disease just like any other medical issue that can ravage your body. The whole reason behind tooth decay is the introduction to plaque to the mouth. Plaque is one of those things that you may not even realize you have in your mouth and yet it could be wreaking havoc on your mouth as you read this even now! Plaque literally bathes your teeth in tooth decay. Its probably one of the worst things you can have in your mouth, besides sugar. It produces what could be defined as a bath of acid. You know that your teeth are made from some heavy duty material, but even an acid bath can eat away at it! Some sources of plaque can be caused by chocolate bars and candy, but there are many other reasons why tooth decay may be happening in your mouth. Read on to the next sections about the common dental questions you really want to know when it comes to causes of tooth decay.
Poor Dental Practices
This is a no brainer. If you don’t brush your tooth, you don’t rinse and brush away food particles, plaque, and bacteria. These are the things that eat away at your teeth! If you don’t floss between your teeth, then you miss all of those things as well and they can hide between your teeth - even if you do brush, and they can start to eat away at your teeth. Brushing your tongue can even keep bad bacteria away and besides that brushing your tongue can get rid of bad breath too so why wouldn’t you do it?! People should be visiting their dentists at least 2 times a year, if not more when they have unusual issues such as esophagitis - this is a disease that actually eats away at the enamel on your teeth and makes you even more prone to getting cavities and tooth decay.
Lack of Enamel, Poorly Formed Enamel or Deep Tooth Crevices
Plaque is like an enemy waiting at your door step. Chances are they won’t try to break through the most obvious place, instead they might find a weakened wall or weakened door to barrel through. Plaque works the same way. It probably won’t attack your teeth that are healthy and clean. Instead, it’s going to attack those deep dark places where there is a lack of enamel, the enamel is not properly formed on the teeth or in places where you have deep dark crevices in your teeth. You might not even realize that this is happening, but if you give it a few months without brushing or visiting the dentist regularly, you will without a doubt start to have tooth decay! Something as simple as a sealant can help prevent tooth decay and help the grooves in your teeth that are ultra-deep stay unaffected by plaque.
Tooth Grinding
This is one of the more common issues that dentists see with patients. Unfortunately tooth grinding can also strip away the hard shell or shield of enamel on your teeth which leaves the softer part of the teeth exposed - and believe me, the plaque and bacteria will attack this whenever they can. Once the enamel on your teeth is gone, all that you have left is dentin. Dentin is said to be 600 times less strong than that of enamel, so once the enamel is gone, it’s pretty easy to see why you get cavities and tooth decay on and in your teeth. If you grind your teeth or you are showing signs of grinding your teeth such as grooves in the teeth, or flattening in the teeth, you could be a grinder. It’s important that you visit your dentist so that you can get fit with a mouth guard that will keep you from grinding your teeth. Sometimes you may not even know you are grinding your teeth, so that’s why it’s important to look for those signs or listen to your mate or spouse when they tell you that you were grinding your teeth!
Poor Dental Practices
This is a no brainer. If you don’t brush your tooth, you don’t rinse and brush away food particles, plaque, and bacteria. These are the things that eat away at your teeth! If you don’t floss between your teeth, then you miss all of those things as well and they can hide between your teeth - even if you do brush, and they can start to eat away at your teeth. Brushing your tongue can even keep bad bacteria away and besides that brushing your tongue can get rid of bad breath too so why wouldn’t you do it?! People should be visiting their dentists at least 2 times a year, if not more when they have unusual issues such as esophagitis - this is a disease that actually eats away at the enamel on your teeth and makes you even more prone to getting cavities and tooth decay.
Lack of Enamel, Poorly Formed Enamel or Deep Tooth Crevices
Plaque is like an enemy waiting at your door step. Chances are they won’t try to break through the most obvious place, instead they might find a weakened wall or weakened door to barrel through. Plaque works the same way. It probably won’t attack your teeth that are healthy and clean. Instead, it’s going to attack those deep dark places where there is a lack of enamel, the enamel is not properly formed on the teeth or in places where you have deep dark crevices in your teeth. You might not even realize that this is happening, but if you give it a few months without brushing or visiting the dentist regularly, you will without a doubt start to have tooth decay! Something as simple as a sealant can help prevent tooth decay and help the grooves in your teeth that are ultra-deep stay unaffected by plaque.
Tooth Grinding
This is one of the more common issues that dentists see with patients. Unfortunately tooth grinding can also strip away the hard shell or shield of enamel on your teeth which leaves the softer part of the teeth exposed - and believe me, the plaque and bacteria will attack this whenever they can. Once the enamel on your teeth is gone, all that you have left is dentin. Dentin is said to be 600 times less strong than that of enamel, so once the enamel is gone, it’s pretty easy to see why you get cavities and tooth decay on and in your teeth. If you grind your teeth or you are showing signs of grinding your teeth such as grooves in the teeth, or flattening in the teeth, you could be a grinder. It’s important that you visit your dentist so that you can get fit with a mouth guard that will keep you from grinding your teeth. Sometimes you may not even know you are grinding your teeth, so that’s why it’s important to look for those signs or listen to your mate or spouse when they tell you that you were grinding your teeth!