To better take care of your teeth, you should not only know how to clean your teeth properly. It is also important that you know what you are up against.
The most common villain of oral health is dental caries–or more commonly known as tooth decay.You should’ve heard of this before. Back when you were young and refused to brush your teeth before going to bed, your mom would scare you with images of decayed teeth that will eventually fall out.
Back in the days, all you knew about tooth decay was that they are not nice; that you need to stay away from them if you want to keep your teeth complete.But what you didn’t know back then is that caries can cause more than tooth loss. It can cause infection in your jawbone, and in some more unfortunate cases, death.
Surprised? Don’t be too afraid because there is something you can do to keep it from harming you. First thing you need to do is to know all that you can about dental caries.
These are a result of acid-producing bacteria that form in your mouth. Such bacteria thrives on fermentable carbohydrates like sucrose and glucose. In more common terminologies, these bacteria form when there are food particles left in your mouth. And when the acidity level of your mouth increases, the bacteria will start to dissolve your teeth’s mineral content. In other words, it will start to destroy the teeth.
Did you know that dental caries is considered as the most common chronic disease in children in the country. It is even more common than asthma. Don’t be fooled. Even though this is more common in kids, a significant number of people aged 50 years and above suffer from this too. Tooth decay can form in the smooth surfaces of your teeth as well as in the pits and in the narrow openings. When you fail to treat caries at an early stage, it would become difficult to get rid of it. The risk for tooth loss is high; or you’d need to undergo invasive surgery. So remember, brush your teeth regularly to make sure you don’t develop decays.
Aside from brushing and flossing regularly, you’d need to have regular dental checkups. You need professional help if you want to make sure you are free from dental caries. Fortunately for you, exceptional dentists like Provo dentists are there for you.