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I am so concerned about oral health because anything that affects the mouth, affects the entire body. in my last post, I wrote about periodontal disease affecting the gum, it is a post you should check out if you actually missed that one. In today's post, I will be writing about a more common tooth issue, which is Dental cavities, it is easier to find someone with dental cavities around, for clarity, let's get into all that dental cavities are about.

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Dental cavities are holes in the teeth formed when the acid in the mouth erodes tooth enamel. At the point when acids in the mouth wear down or erode a tooth's hard outer layer known as enamel, then a cavity is formed at that point. Cavity eventually develops into tooth decay, but adequate and proper brushing, flossing, and carrying out proper dental cleaning can help prevent cavities from happening.

There comes a point in time when decay-causing bacteria come in contact with starches and sugar gotten from food and drinks, these formation leads to the creation of an acid, the acid can attack the tooth's enamel making it lose minerals. Constant consumption of food and drinks that contain starch and sugar would result in the loss of minerals, and after a long time, the enamel gets weak and gets destroyed creating a cavity.

The symptoms and signs of a cavity vary greatly depending on its location and the extent to which it has gotten. At the beginning of the occurrence of a cavity, there may not be any symptoms at all, but as the decay increases in size, it would lead to certain symptoms and signs like;

Pain when you bite.
Clear holes at the lower path of the teeth.
Sensitive tooth.
Spontaneous toothache, that happens without any apparent reason.
Stain on the tooth.
Pain when eating or drinking something hot or cold.

Tooth decay doesn't just happen, there are processes to get to the point of tooth decay;

Plaque formation: Plaque on the teeth is a clear sticky film that coats the teeth, the plaque happens as a result of consuming excessive sugar and starches, then not cleaning up your teeth properly after that. At the point when starches and sugar aren't cleaned off your teeth, the bacteria will begin to feed on them forming plaque. The plaque that remains on the teeth could harden under the gum or above the gum line creating tartar (calculus), tartar makes it more difficult to get rid of plaque, and it also creates a shield for bacteria.

Plaque attacks: When plaques are formed, the acids found in plaque take out the minerals in the tooth's hard, outer enamel. The happening of erosion creates tiny openings in the enamel, once the enamel gets worn out, the bacteria and acid get to the next layer of the teeth called Dentin. The dentin layer is softer than the enamel is, and it is also less resistant to acid, it as well has tiny tubes that communicate directly with the nerve of the tooth creating sensitivity.

Destruction continues: With the development of tooth decay, acid, and bacteria continue to spread through the teeth, moving as well into the inner tooth material that contains nerves and blood vessels. The pulp gets swollen and irritated from bacteria, as there is no place for the swelling to expand inside the tooth, the nerve gets pressed resulting in pain and discomfort, the discomfort can even spread outside of the tooth root to the bone.

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Normally, tooth cavities can happen to anyone but there are certain risk factors that increase the chance of getting cavities, some of the risk factors include;
Location of the tooth, the molars, and premolars (back teeth), these teeth have lots of grooves, pits, and crannies, they also have multiple roots that can collect food particles, as a result, it is more difficult to keep that side of the teeth clean compared to the front side of the teeth.

Constantly eating snacks and sipping sugary drinks will supply the mouth bacteria with more fuel to produce the acids that will attack the teeth and get them to wear down.

Asides from snacks and sugary drinks, there is some food that gets to cling to your teeth for a very long time, examples are dried fruit, cookies, dry cereal, and chips would cause more decay than the food types that can easily be washed off the teeth through saliva.

When you fail to clean your teeth after eating, plaques form very fast and create a long-lasting path to tooth decay.

Parents can also contribute to the decay of their infant's teeth, by giving them bedtime bottles filled with milk, formula, juice, or other sugar-containing fluids, the sweet beverages cling to their teeth for long hours of their bedtime, and the damage is similar when toddlers walk around sipping from high-sugar containing beverages at random.

Anorexia and bulimia, are eating disorders that can contribute to significant tooth erosion and cavities. Stomach acid that results from consistent vomiting, would wash over the teeth and begin to dissolve the enamel, these eating disorders can also interfere with the amount of saliva production in the mouth, and that certainly will give room for food to remain stuck to the teeth. Pain in the tooth cannot even be ignored, but it can create certain complications if not treated urgently, the complications could come in form of; chewing difficulty, tooth abscess, pus or swelling around a tooth, chewing complications, and even damage or broken teeth.

At the point when decay and cavities get really serious;
It will lead to interference with daily activities, nutrition problems or weight loss, tooth loss that will affect how you look, and even a tooth abscess can happen on rare occasions.

The best way to prevent cavity issues is definitely through the maintenance of good oral health hygiene, but you should also speak with your vet about the best available treatment options for you.

Ensure that you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste after eating or drinking. I personally feel this may not be possible all the time, but you could rinse your mouth with fluoride too from time to time.
Visit a dentist from time to time, in order to get professional cleaning and good forms of oral examinations that will help the expert identify any problem fast and treat it.
Eat foods that are teeth-healthy.

In a case where you could not prevent the tooth cavity issue from happening and it happens, then it could be treated as well, of course by getting to see a dentist through either of these strategies;
A fluoride treatment that would contribute to enamel repair.
If you've got a typical cavity, the dentist would take out the decayed tooth tissue and then restore it by getting it filled with a filling material.

A root canal may be required if the infection has spread to the pulp or if the tooth has gotten damaged, if this is the case, the dentist will take out the decayed pulp, and then clean the root and tooth, after this is done, the tooth would be filled with a temporary filling, after some time it would be replaced with permanent feeling.

In some highly severe cases, when the damage done to the pulp cannot be fixed, then the teeth will be pulled, and a bridge or an implant will be advised by your dentist to help replace the missing tooth.

You need to instantly visit a dental clinic if you notice bleeding gum, you find it difficult to chew, you have a swollen face, you have a toothache or mouth pain, or you notice a sign of infection.