Tooth Caries (Decay)

There are could be different reasons why you need to restore your teeth. The leading reason is a decay or caries. Caries is the process involving hard structures of the teeth such as enamel and dentin.

WHAT CAUSES TOOTH DECAY?
When normal mouth bacteria attack carbohydrates (such as sugars) on the teeth, they produce acids that can strip and break down the calcium and protein in tooth enamel, producing caries, or decay. The most common sites are the biting surfaces of the molars (back teeth) and the places where the teeth adjoin. Untreated decay will eventually spread deeper and deeper till it reaches the nerve.

Very often caries goes unnoticed, not causing any symptoms, till it destroys a big part of the tooth. At this point you can have high sensitivity to hot and cold, or sweets, food may stick in between the teeth. Caries develops as a funnel affect which means that it starts in a point and expands once it penetrates the enamel surface. Enamel is the hard substance that covers the outer portion on the crown of the tooth and it is pretty difficult for bacteria to destroy it. Once the bacteria make an opening through the enamel, it will enter the dentin layer, which is much softer and easier for the bacteria to destroy. This is the reason why people don’t realize that they have a large cavity in their tooth; it is mostly covered by the hollowed out enamel until that piece of enamel breaks off. Frequent exams and check up X-rays can diagnose development of decay at its early stages. The sooner cavity diagnosed, the more healthy tooth structure can be preserved by the doctor using less invasive treatment options, and more chances that decay did not reach the nerve, when the root canal treatment must be done.

So, how can we restore the decayed tooth?

After you were diagnosed with caries, doctor can offer you different treatment options, depending on the teeth involved, the extent of the decay and you overall conditions in the mouth. After you been num, all the decay and involved dentin have to be cleaned out with the special burs till the sound structure of the tooth reached. Then the doctor will shape the cavity to accept the desired restoration.