Dental Talk Thursday | How Cavities Are Formed

Dental Talk Thursday | How Cavities Are Formed

For this week’s Dental Talk Thursday we are going to be talking about the single most common chronic childhood disease - cavities.

Shocking, right!? Well let me just shock you a little bit more.

Although dental cavities are highly preventable, the CDC reports that, “they remain the MOST common chronic disease of children aged 6 to 11 years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years.” They also have reported that, “tooth decay is FOUR times more common than asthma among adolescents aged 14 to 17 years.”

A cavity is the breakdown of the hard tissues of a tooth. This breakdown aka demineralization, is initiated by acids created by the bacteria found in plaque. Even though enamel is the hardest substance in the body, it causes some serious damage and can lead to the formation of cavities that will need to be filled. Delaying treatment for too long will destroy the tooth. Just another one of the MANY reasons not to miss your 6 month check-ups! ;)

So, what’s the decay process like? A tooth goes through four stages to develop decay:

First Stage: First, a white or brown spot appears on the tooth's surface.

Second Stage: Then, once the bacteria continue to multiply, the decay breaks through the tooth's hard outer enamel layer.

Third Stage: Now, since the cavity has gone through the enamel to the softer layer of the tooth, it is able to destroy the tooth structure more rapidly because the layers of tooth beneath the enamel are about 50% thinner.

Fourth Stage: At this point the bacteria should be removed and the cavity should be filled already. However, if the cavity is not filled, it will cause even bigger problems down the road as the bacteria continue to progress through the tooth’s structure.

If you have tooth decay, please see your dentist as soon as possible to get it taken care of. It may seem like a minor thing at the moment but in time it’s only going to cost you more pain, time, money, and possibly even your chances of saving the tooth.

Here are just a few of the many things you can do to help prevent your from getting cavities:

Avoid foods and drinks high in sugar.

Watch your frequency over quantity. For example: If you’re going to eat a bag of M&M’s eat them all in one sitting, preferably with a meal rather than sporadically throughout the day. Each time you consume an M&M you are not only introducing your mouth to more sugar but you are also creating a more acidic environment in your mouth (aka cavity heaven).

Use a soft toothpaste and mouthwash that contain fluoride.

Brush your teeth at least twice a day for a minimum of two minutes each time to remove plaque. Make sure to always use a fluoride tooth paste. Also, make sure that your mouth wash contains fluoride too; fluoride strengthens tooth enamel to help prevent cavities.

Floss daily to remove plaque between teeth.

Yes, I’m sure your hygienist asks you about flossing at every appointment and you probably roll your eyes. It’s okay, I’m not offended, I see it every day. What we want you to know though is that we don’t ask you about it to be annoying, we ask you because we truly do care. If you’re skipping out on the flossing just know that you are leaving 35% perfect of your tooth surfaces dirty. Think of it this way. Not flossing is the equivalent to wiping your butt cheeks but skipping the crack. Pretty gross, right?!

Talk to your dentist about your medical conditions and medications.

There are so many medications and medical conditions out there that reduce your salvia flow. Having a reduced saliva flow increases your risk for tooth decay because the teeth are not getting the natural cleansing effect of the saliva.