How do I stop getting cavities?

Prevention

  1. Brush with fluoride toothpaste after eating or drinking.
  2. Rinse your mouth.
  3. Visit your dentist regularly.
  4. Consider dental sealants.
  5. Drink some tap water.
  6. Avoid frequent snacking and sipping.
  7. Eat tooth-healthy foods.
  8. Consider fluoride treatments.

How are dental caries diagnosed?

Your dentist can usually detect tooth decay by:

  1. Asking about tooth pain and sensitivity.
  2. Examining your mouth and teeth.
  3. Probing your teeth with dental instruments to check for soft areas.
  4. Looking at dental X-rays, which can show the extent of cavities and decay.

Who is most at risk of dental caries?

Root caries increases with age and amongst independently living older adults, factors such as poor plaque control, xerostomia, coronal decay and having exposed root surfaces are indicators of risk (11).

What are the causes of caries?

What causes cavities?

  • Bacteria in the mouth feed on sugary, starchy foods and drinks (fruit, candy, bread, cereal, sodas, juice and milk).
  • Bacteria, acid, food and saliva mix to form plaque.
  • Without proper brushing and flossing, acids in plaque dissolve tooth enamel, creating cavities, or holes.

Are cavities bad?

Cavities don’t usually hurt; you can have a cavity without any indication that something is wrong. If one of your teeth is hurting, it usually means that the decay has gone too deep into your tooth, reaching the nerve. At that point, you’d probably need a root canal.

How are dental caries removed?

Caries is no longer seen as an infectious disease, and the aim of treating carious lesions is to control their activity, not to remove the lesion itself. Such control can be implemented by sealing off the lesion from the environment, with sealed bacteria being deprived from carbohydrates and thus inactivated.

What are the complications of dental caries?

A tooth cavity can cause a variety of complications if it’s left untreated. These include: ongoing tooth pain. a tooth abscess, which can become infected and trigger life-threatening complications, like an infection that enters the bloodstream or sepsis.

What is caries risk?

Caries risk is the likelihood of the patient having new caries lesions (active white spots, non-cavitated approximal lesions, cavitated lesions) in the near future. The management of dental caries can be complicated, especially for patients with several pathologic caries risk factors.

Is caries a disease?

Key facts. Dental caries (also known as tooth decay or dental cavities) is the most common noncommunicable disease worldwide. Severe dental caries affects general health and often causes pain and infection, which may result in tooth extraction.

Come si sviluppa la carie dentale?

La carie dentale colpisce più facilmente molari, premolari ed incisivi superiori. In genere tende a svilupparsi tra gli spazi interdentali laddove risulta più difficoltosa la rimozione dei residui alimentari con lo spazzolino .

Quali sono i sintomi della carie?

La carie è una patologia che causa il danneggiamento dello strato di smalto che ricopre i denti. A seconda del danno causato viene suddivisa in cinque stadi: Iniziale: nessun danno all’interno del dente, ma una macchia biancastra limitata alla superifice esterna dello smalto che può essere rimossa tramite un trattamento di fluorazione.

Quando la carie arriva a colpire la dentina?

Nel momento in cui la carie arriva a colpire la dentina, si nota chiaramente un solco scuro, contenente un ristagno di materiale imputridito (cibo e tessuti dentali disgregati). Quando il paziente inizia ad accusare mal di denti, significa che il processo cariogeno si è spinto in profondità, fino alla polpa dentale.

Come si possono eliminare le carie?

Per eliminare le carie, il dentista deve rimuovere le parti necrotiche (e quindi compromesse) del dente per poi medicare l’area coinvolta e infine chiudere le cavità. In base alla gravità della lesione, possono essere utilizzati: Trattamenti al fluoro: utili per contrastare carie allo stadio iniziale.