What is dental caries?

Having a good set of teeth is the dream of many people, but the reality is that many people have a lot of cavities in their mouths. The existence of cavities prevents patients from eating their favorite foods as they please in life, and sometimes cavities will act on the dental nerves, making caries patients suffer from excruciating pain. Every time caries cause pain, they can only go to the dental hospital for medical treatment again and again.

The formation of tooth decay is mainly due to the long-term attachment of sugar or acidic substances to the tooth surface, which destroys the structure of the tooth surface. Once the protective film on the tooth surface is destroyed, the teeth will be easily corroded.

Dental caries is a progressive lesion of the hard tissue of the teeth caused by the combined effects of multiple factors in the oral cavity. It is characterized by demineralization of inorganic matter and decomposition of organic matter. As the disease progresses, it evolves from color change to the formation of substantial lesions. Caries is a bacterial disease, so it can cause secondary pulpitis and apical periodontitis, and even cause inflammation of the alveolar bone and jaw bone. Secondary infection of dental caries can form lesions, causing or aggravating other systemic diseases such as arthritis, periostitis, chronic kidney disease and various eye diseases. Dental caries should be prevented through health care.

In addition, according to the type of caries lesions, they can be divided into

① Chronic caries lasts for a long time, and the carious tissue is hard, dry and darkly stained.

② Acute caries has a short course and progresses rapidly. The carious tissue is soft, moist and lightly stained. In a short period of time, most teeth or even all teeth in the mouth will suffer from acute caries. The carious teeth are wide and progress quickly to the deep part. They are often ring-shaped at the neck of the teeth. It is also called fierce caries.

③ Static caries: The caries cavity is shallow and saucer-shaped. The caries progresses very slowly or statically. The cavity often exposes the hard, smooth and colored dentin layer.

④ Secondary caries occurs at the edges of fillings or restorations.

The most effective way to deal with tooth decay is prevention. You should develop the habit of brushing your teeth once in the morning and evening when you are young, remember to rinse your mouth after meals, eat less sweets, and if your financial conditions allow, you can go to the dental hospital to have your teeth cleaned once a month. These are all effective ways to prevent tooth decay.