Tooth decay in children

Tooth decay

Tooth decay is one of the most common health complications all over the world. In developed societies where water is fluorinated and toothpastes that contain fluoride are used, this is not so frequent condition. However, young children and teenagers belong to the risk group as they are more liable to development of tooth decay. Some of the reasons for that are poor oral hygiene and a wide use of food that contains sugar.

Causes of tooth decay

Tooth decay is also called dental caries and it is caused by plaque that collects around the gum line and edges of the fillings on the teeth. Plaque consists of food remains, bacteria, saliva and acids. If you do not regularly brush your teeth, that saliva converts into tartar, which is a hard plague that dissolves coating of the tooth with the help of acids. That coating is protecting the tooth from bacteria, but after some period, tartar creates holes in the tooth. At the beginning, they don’t cause any pain, but if you don’t treat the tooth on time, holes can damage dentin and the pulp settled at the core, causing death of the nerve and blood vessels. At the very end, it can kill the tooth and then there is nothing to be done in order to save the tooth.

Some of the major causes for the tooth decay can be found in the food that we eat. Diet that is rich in sugar and sticky foods enables food to remain stick to the tooth for a longer period of time. A person who enjoys snacks should also be careful, because it provides comfortable environment for the acids to interact with teeth and cause tooth decay. Oral hygiene is important as well, because all the acids need additional 20 minutes after a meal, so that they can start working on a tooth. According to some information, tooth decay has become one of the major issues after the beginning of the widespread usage of sugar in the 18th century.

Symptoms and the treatment

Alarm that will indicate that there is something wrong with your tooth is pain. That pain increases after the consumption of something cold or sweat, and it is a clear sign that you have to visit a dentist. You can see spots and holes on your tooth as some of the symptoms of tooth decay. If you have systematic check ups regularly, a dentist can easily spot if your teeth have dental caries and solve the problem.

If you want to avoid tooth decay, the best way for that is to have a healthy diet, maintain oral hygiene, and visit the dentist regularly. It would be good to use dental floss so that you could clean those remote areas that are out of reach. If you already are at an early stage of tooth decay, a problem may be easily solved, but if your tooth is in a much worse condition, then some more complicated procedures are required so that you could save your tooth. You might need a crown for your tooth or a filling, or in the case of nerve damage, a root canal work. You can help your children if you teach them how to brush their teeth and eat healthy food, because it will give them a chance to have healthy, strong teeth as long as possible.