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TOOTH DECAY AND GUM DISEASE
How does it happen?
Dental plaque is a soft, sticky and invisible layer of bacteria that forms on everyone's teeth. You might have noticed the 'furry' feeling on your teeth when you haven't brushed for a while, that is plaque building up on your teeth.
Bacteria in plaque turns the sugar from sweet food and drinks you eat into acid. This acid will then start 'attacking' your teeth and does not stop for approximately 20 minutes after you finish eating the sweet food or drink. This is called an acid attack and it happens every time you have something with sugar in it.
There more acid attacks you have during the day from eating sweet food and drinks, the more chance there is of getting decay (holes) in your teeth. It is therefore important to limit the number of times during the day you have a sweet snack or drink.
Brushing your teeth twice a day to remove the plaque that builds up on your teeth everyday is also important. If plaque is not regularly removed it can harden into tartar. This increases the chances of developing tooth decay, as tartar cannot be removed by brushing, tartar can only be removed by a dentist.
Gum disease can develop when there is a build up of plaque and tartar at the gum line (where your teeth meet the gums). So it is important to brush and floss not only to avoid holes in your teeth, but to prevent gum disease as well.
To find out more about oral health care,
click here...
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Pictures of tooth decay and gum disease
In this picture you can see what holes in teeth looks like:
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What happens
when there is decay in
my tooth? When there is a decay in your tooth it is important to go to the dentist to get it fixed, or it will continue to grow and go deeper into the tooth, creating holes (cavities) in your tooth. To stop the decay from growing, the dentist will remove the decayed areas of the tooth and place a filling to get the tooth back to its original shape. If decay is detected at an early stage, less of the tooth will be lost and only a small filling will be needed. With more decay it can be harder to restore the tooth and it may lead to tooth loss. By regular oral health care as well as going to the dentist for a check-up every 12 months, you can prevent large holes from developing. |
In these pictures you can see what gum disease looks like:
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Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease. It is caused by plaque build-ups and tartar at the gum line. Gingivitis will make the gums red and swollen. If you have noticed that your gums bleed when you brush, it is a sign of gingivitis. Don't stop brushing though, as brushing will help remove the plaque and get the gums back to normal (not red and swollen and not bleeding when you brush). Make sure you brush where the teeth meet the gums, click here for more info on brushing. Make sure you go for a dental check-up every year as well to check if any tartar has built up at the gum line and to have it removed, as brushing alone cannot remove tartar. |
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Periodontitis is the later stage of gum disease. This can happen if plaque build-ups where teeth meet the gums are not removed. At this stage gums and bone surrounding the teeth start breaking down, and can eventually lead to tooth loss. At this stage gum disease can only be stopped by a dentist, however by regular oral health care and going for a dental check-up every year you can avoid getting Periodontitis at all! |
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What is root canal treatment?
If holes in teeth are left without being fixed by a dentist, they will grow bigger and deeper into the tooth. A large hole, which grows close to the pulp of the tooth, can result in infections in the root canal/s of your teeth.
This is because bacteria can more easily enter into the pulp through the hole in the tooth. The bacteria can then make its way down to the root canal/s and will develop an abscess (the yellowish patch under the left root of the tooth in the below diagram).
The abscess, which is full of pus, will push against the bone surrounding the tooth. It can't escape as there is nowhere for it to go, and this can cause a lot of pain!
The only way to get the pus out is to have root canal treatment, or get the
tooth
pulled out. Root canal treatment clears all the pus and
bacteria out of the canal, then a crown is put on top of the
tooth to cover the hole and prevent further infections. However, it is not
always successful, and
it may need to be done again. To read more about
how to avoid getting large holes in the first place, click here...
Source of diagram:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Root_Canal_Illustration_Molar.svg
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