Home Hygiene Treatment of deep caries at home. How to get rid of caries at home

Hygiene

Treatment of deep caries at home. How to get rid of caries at home

Cariogenic bacteria for 3.5-4 years completely destroy the tooth. Dentists highlight white spot stage, superficial, medium and deep caries.

Signs of the white spot stage not always noticeable. Due to the loss of calcium salts and other substances, a dull light dot appears on the enamel.

Over time, it darkens, becomes beige and brownish. Symptoms worsen or stabilize depending on the characteristics of the body, the composition of saliva, the presence of fluoride in water and many other factors. If the process getting worse, a cavity forms under the spot.

Signs of superficial caries: a pitted, eroded area forms on the enamel and cement, then a shallow black cavity. The damage is localized V dura shell - enamel or cement.
Symptoms of average caries manifests itself as a worsening of the previous stage of destruction. Black cavity is growing in width and depth. The carious lesion passes through the entire thickness of the enamel (cementum) and moves onto the dentin. Patients appear toothache, sensitivity after eating cold, hot foods, sweets, salty and sour foods.
Signs of deep caries: a large cavity forms in the tooth, which penetrates deeply into the dentin and destroys his. At this stage, patients constantly feel pain after irritants enter the cavity. When the irritant is removed, the pain goes away.

How to deal with dental caries?

The disease must be treated already at an early stage. When white or pigmented spots appear, black cracks, depressions, toothache, visit a doctor can't be postponed.

Modern dentistry has painkillers new generation. They allow the patient don't feel at all pain when drilling, removing stone and even when removing a tooth.

Diagnostics and pathology clinic

Begin with oral examination. If a tooth hurts due to pathology, most likely the patient has a medium or deep degree of dentin destruction. If caries eats away at the cavity, the doctor uses a probe and a dental mirror.

They check with a probe cavity depth, degree of tissue softening, nature of pain.
To study the extent of damage they do radiograph.
IN difficult cases the doctor sends the patient to CT (computed tomography).
Thermodiagnostics(testing reaction to cold) is done less frequently. A cotton wool heated to + 50 degrees(or lower) and see if there is a pain reaction to the stimulus.
At the staining stage, dyes are applied to the tooth ( caries detectors), containing fuchsin, methylene blue. Demineralized areas are stained lilac or blue color, healthy enamel remains almost white.
Sometimes the tooth is dried and the condition of the enamel is examined. A healthy surface looks shiny, areas with the “white spot” stage of destruction will be matte.
Changes inside the tooth are visible when exposed to a bright light source.

Is it possible to completely cure tooth decay? How is dentin removed?

Removal is in cleaning affected cavities from colonies of bacteria, their metabolic products, eliminating damaged tissue, protecting the tooth from further destruction.

Treatment of caries by drilling is done to prepare and excise tissue. Modern drills operate at high speeds, which reduces pain. Pain often occurs due to overheating dental tissue. Therefore, when treating a carious cavity with a drill, local anesthesia is used. Vibration during manipulation almost invisible, which also reduces pain.

Attention! Dentin is destroyed more than enamel. All damaged tissue is drilled out with a drill; as a result, the treated cavity is of considerable size.

General treatment and filling

Therapy methods differ depending on how deep the destruction process has gone. Access to medicine also matters. Possibilities of insurance and private dentistry vary greatly.

Photo 1. Dental filling is the most common practice in the treatment of caries, available in almost any dentistry.

How to get rid of the disease in the white or dark spot stage?

Tissue damage is stopped early remineralization method. The stain is cleaned of pellicle and plaque. Then the tooth enamel is treated with hydrogen peroxide. The second step is applying to the affected area. applications from:

The drug Remodent.
Solution calcium hydrochloride or calcium gluconate.
Solution sodium fluoride.

In some clinics, applications are replaced electrophoresis with the same drugs. After treatment, fluoride and calcium-containing gels and varnishes, and agar-agar gel are applied to the teeth.

How to cure in superficial form?

Carious lesions, in which bacteria have destroyed only the enamel or cementum, are treated with traditional methods using a drill. Therapy includes:

Local anesthesia gums using an injection or application.
Cleaning carious cavity (surface) with a drill.
Processing tooth with a disinfectant solution.
Installation fillings.

Is it possible to remove pathology at the middle stage?

With average caries they are destroyed hard fabrics and dentin. This layer of the tooth plays the role frame. Dentin has a porous structure and bacteria easily penetrate the tissue tubules. Treatment of average caries includes:

Anesthesia in the form of injections.
Cleaning carious cavity using a drill.
Processing places for tissue preparation with an antiseptic solution.
Sealing tooth

How difficult is it to fight deep form?

Modern therapy for advanced caries can stop the destruction of tooth enamel, cement and dentin. Add to list medical procedures includes:

Anesthesia(injections).
Cleaning carious cavity by drilling.
Installation temporary filling for a few days.
Her deletion, cavity cleaning.
Treatment antiseptic.
Installation fillings.

Reference! In case of deeply penetrated caries, the bottom of the cavity is cleaned manually using “ excavator" or a drill at low speeds.

Composite materials, compomers ( glaciosites), amalgams, glass ionomer cements, ormoceramics (ceramics with organic additives). Ceramic and composite products allow imitate natural tooth color. In case of severe destruction, the orthopedic dentist will install metal, plastic or ceramic crown.

Modern treatment of caries

For therapy without drilling use laser. It acts painlessly and evaporates tissues affected by bacteria. This method allows you to clean the eroded enamel surface, shallow cavities and is used in the early And middle stages destruction. Deep caries can also be removed with a laser if the patient is allergic to anesthesia.

Photo 2. Laser treatment is a completely painless procedure, but not all clinics have the necessary equipment.

A drug Icon(Aikon) manufactured in Germany is intended for the treatment of carious lesions at an early stage. A gel is applied to the tooth, which pickles fabrics. Then, after treatment with alcohol and drying, a polymer is applied to the tooth. infiltrate. This material fills and “seals” the pores in demineralized enamel.

What to do to avoid complications and clear teeth from disease

Caries is needed be sure to treat so as not to lose a tooth and avoid complications. When bacteria penetrate the root canal, the pulp becomes inflamed, the nerve reacts with acute pain, and the blood vessels spread the infection throughout the body.

Complications of untreated caries: pulpitis, periodontitis, jaw phlegmon and abscess (purulent local inflammation of tissue). This dangerous consequences destruction of dental tissue, which can cause general blood poisoning.

Complications are treated outpatient, in severe cases - in the hospital. sick treated with antibiotics. If the process is extensive, the phlegmon and abscess are opened and drainage is installed to ensure the outflow of pus.

In what cases is a tooth removed:

Heavily damaged units that impossible cure.
With advanced caries root.
At chronic periodontitis(inflammation of the root hole), which arose during the formation of pulpitis. The removal operation is carried out dental surgeon.

The duration of therapy depends on the degree of destruction of enamel and dentin. Anesthesia takes 5-15 minutes(depending on the type of painkiller).

Then the doctor cleans the carious cavity with a drill bit. It takes 10-15 minutes. Installation of the filling lasts from 5 to 10-12 minutes, if the material needs curing. Treatment of even the most complex tooth will take no more than an hour.

If the tooth is severely damaged, the doctor will place a temporary filling, covering the preparation with it. In dentistry, drugs are used that stimulate demineralized tissue to restore structure. In difficult cases you will have to visit a dentist 2-3 times.

Caries is a pathological process that destroys the bone tissue of the tooth, proceeds rather slowly and can accompany a person for years. From the moment the development of caries begins to complete destruction, several decades can pass. Almost every person is familiar with caries – Lately This disease is getting younger every day. Caries needs to be treated in the dentist's office; home treatment is effective only in some cases, which we will talk about in more detail a little later. In the meantime, let's try to find out the main reasons why caries appears.

Why does caries occur?

Carious effects on a tooth occur for more than one reason. This is a complex various factors, which together lead to inflammatory process in the tooth. So, what are the causes of tooth decay?

One of the first and main reasons is insufficient or improper oral hygiene. It comes into contact with human teeth with food and drinks. great amount bacteria, microbes and other microorganisms that corrode tooth enamel. If they are not removed from there in a timely manner, plaque and tartar develop. And this, in turn, is a constant Negative influence on the bone tissue of the tooth, which sooner or later leads to its destruction.
If a person has gastroenterological diseases, gastric juice may be regularly released into the oral cavity. Since the acid is quite caustic, it easily corrodes tooth enamel, which subsequently leads to caries. In addition, with gastrointestinal diseases, the composition of saliva changes, which also affects the condition of the enamel.
Chronic diseases of the throat cavity also contribute to the development of caries, since they are a source of infection. Tooth decay is caused by certain types of streptococcus.
An unbalanced diet, namely a lack of fluoride in the diet, leads to damage to tooth enamel. After all, fluorine plays main role V mineral complex natural protection of teeth. The condition of the teeth is also affected by a lack of calcium - they become vulnerable and loose, and caries on such teeth develops more rapidly.
Often the process of tooth decay intensifies during pregnancy and lactation, when all the calcium from the body is directed towards fetal development or milk production.
Frequent consumption of sweet and sour drinks and foods affects the condition of teeth. It has been proven that people working in confectionery shops suffer from caries much more often.
In general, dental health is of no small importance. hereditary factor. Genetically, parents pass on to their children the quality of teeth - density bone tissue, its susceptibility to various diseases, etc.
Very often, caries occurs in patients who wear braces and do not maintain sufficient oral hygiene.

Depending on the location, caries can be fissure (when the decay process begins in the natural recesses of the tooth), interdental (when the carious surface forms on the side of the tooth) or atypical (on the edge of the tooth). Most dangerous look caries is cervical, since it begins to destroy the tooth right at its base.

Stages of caries development

Like any disease, caries has its own stages of development. And some of them can be easily cured at home.

At the first stage of caries development, plaque forms on the surface of the tooth, which is difficult to clean with a toothbrush. This begins the leaching of mineral salts from tooth enamel. At this stage, plaques and white spots may appear on the tooth - the first sign of caries development. This type of caries can still be treated at home. However, it does not hurt yet, so it is rarely detected - only at a preventive appointment with the dentist.
The second stage of caries development is the formation of a superficial black spot on the tooth. Bacteria eat away tooth enamel, causing primary signs– black or brown spot, slight pain when pressing and eating sweet and hot foods.
The third stage of development is characterized by deep damage to bone tissue. Even a light touch brings serious pain. The sad thing is that only at this stage does a person consult a doctor; in other cases, he prefers to take a painkiller tablet.

It is important to understand that if caries has already appeared, it will develop and will not disappear anywhere. And the sooner you see a doctor, the cheaper and faster the treatment will be. If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to serious consequences such as pulpitis (inflammation of the nerve) or periodontitis (inflammation of the gums). All this steadily leads to tooth loss. But if you see a doctor earlier, this can be completely avoided.

Many people do not go to the dentist in a timely manner for two reasons - they are afraid of pain or do not want to spend money on a doctor’s services. It is important to understand that if a black dot appears on a tooth, you will no longer be able to cope on your own. Besides, modern methods Dental treatment hasn't been done for a long time painful sensations, except for minor discomfort. So that you are not afraid to go to the doctor, we will tell you about the step-by-step treatment of caries in the dentist’s office.

First of all, the area of damage to the tooth is assessed and a general tactics treatment. Then the teeth are cleaned of plaque and tartar. Next, the doctor determines the color of the tooth using a special scale; this is done to select the shade of the filling so that it subsequently does not stand out against the general background.
The start of work is due to pain relief. Dental procedures are carried out under local anesthesia. The only painful moment in dental treatment is the injection with an anesthetic. Next, the oral cavity area is frozen. Depending on the amount of the drug administered and the individual characteristics of the body, the effect of anesthesia can last from 45 minutes to several hours.
Next is the most important part of the treatment. All areas of the tooth affected by caries should be drilled out. As a rule, large carious cavities are found under a small point on the tooth enamel. The fact is that tooth enamel is much stronger than the tooth itself, so only a point is visible on its surface. But inside there is black tissue that the doctor needs to drill out and clean. If you leave even the slightest area of the affected tooth and cover it with a filling, such treatment is fraught with repeated inflammation, the development of caries and damage to the tooth crown. In case of pulpitis, the inflamed nerve is also removed.
Then the clean cavity should be rid of any remaining saliva and moisture. This is very important, since the time of wearing the filling depends on this stage of treatment. Next, the cleaned cavity is treated with an antiseptic.
The next step is to apply a seal to a special gasket, which acts as a kind of glue. Modern fillings are made of a polymer composite material, which is applied in layers. Each layer is fixed with a special lamp, which makes it harden.
The final stage is placing a filling under right size. After installation, the filling is ground so that it takes the desired position and does not interfere with the closing of the jaw. And polishing will give the filling an aesthetic appearance. appearance, as well as similarity to healthy tooth enamel.

Thus, you learned that caries treatment is an absolutely painless and common process that the doctor carries out daily. And the sooner you decide to go to the dentist, the cheaper his services will cost you.

How to treat caries at home

It is possible to treat caries at home only if the development of the disease is at the first stage, that is, plaques and white spots are observed on the surface of the tooth. Such caries can be cured at home. It is impossible to cure black spots and painful areas of the tooth at home, unless you pull out the tooth completely. In addition, home treatment (if done regularly) slows down or stops the process of tooth decay. But then you will have to regularly rinse your teeth with antiseptic compounds day and night. Isn't it easier to visit a doctor once?

If your tooth decay is in the early stages of development, here are effective remedies to help you get rid of superficial tooth decay.

You need to maintain oral hygiene - brush your teeth twice a day, use dental floss and toothpicks, and rinse your mouth after eating. This reduces the number of bacteria that infect the tooth and slows down the development of caries.
The pharmacy has special mineralizing gels that contain fluoride and other substances necessary to restore tooth enamel. Apply this gel to your teeth twice a day, and tooth enamel will stop deteriorating.
In addition, you need to use special mouth rinses as often as possible. They contain bactericidal substances that suppress the development of microbes, as well as fluoride, the lack of which leads to the destruction of tooth enamel.
An antiseptic effect can be achieved using laundry soap. You need to rub a damp brush against a bar of soap, and then start brushing your teeth with it. Special fatty acids inhibit the development of microbes in the oral cavity and help restore damaged enamel.
An excellent result of cleansing bacteria can be achieved by rinsing the mouth. medicinal herbs– sage, chamomile, calendula. Three tablespoons of the mixture should be poured into a liter of boiling water and left for several hours. Rinse your mouth as often as possible.
You can stop bacterial infection with a decoction of onion peels. The onion peels need to be washed and filled into a liter jar. Then pour boiling water and leave closed until morning. When the decoction is ready, add alcohol to it and rinse your mouth with the resulting mixture three times a day.
Camphor alcohol will help provide a temporary analgesic effect. A tablespoon of alcohol should be dissolved in a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth every hour.
Garlic will help slow down the process of tooth decay and temporarily relieve tooth decay. It should be grated on a fine grater and squeezed through cheesecloth. Soak a cotton swab in garlic juice and apply to painful tooth. Within 10 minutes the pain will subside.
Calamus root has a powerful antiseptic effect. Warriors of the Tatar-Mongol yoke used the root to disinfect water in reservoirs to make it drinkable. Calamus root can simply be chewed - it produces healing juice, which suppresses the proliferation of bacteria in the carious cavity. However, the juice is quite bitter, so some people prefer to make a decoction from it. Pour boiling water over a couple of tablespoons of crushed calamus root and leave the broth for three hours. Strain and rinse your mouth with it 3-5 times a day.

These are the basic measures that can be taken to treat early stage tooth decay at home.

How not to treat caries at home

Caries is serious illness which cannot be treated at home (at later stages development of the disease). Sooner or later, the destructive effect will lead to tooth loss or infection of neighboring teeth. One way or another, you will have to see a doctor. In the fight for clean and healthy teeth Many patients find home treatments that reach the point of absurdity. Here are some ways in which caries should never be treated.

There are many recommendations on the Internet for treating caries with propolis. In fact, this is big mistake. By applying propolis to a carious area, you do not disinfect the surface, but give the microbes food - after all, propolis contains a lot of sugar. This way you only speed up the process of tooth decay.
Hydrogen peroxide also does not give the expected effect. With the help of this medicinal composition You can slightly whiten your teeth, but you won’t be able to stop the decay process.
Some home-grown doctors try to scrape off the black part of the tooth with hard objects - sandpaper, a needle and even a screwdriver. In fact, this is very dangerous and, if you are careless, you can damage the mucous membrane or tooth enamel. Even if you succeed in scraping off the carious part, the process of tooth decay will not stop because the cavity will not be cleaned out properly and will still remain open. The tooth will continue to decay.
Never try to rinse your mouth with household chemicals - bleach or other chlorine-containing compounds. This is fraught with serious burns to the mucous membrane. Vinegar should also not be used to treat caries - it not only burns the mucous membrane, but also destroys the protective tooth enamel, and after such “treatment” caries affects the tooth much faster.

In addition to these folk remedies, I would like to note that you cannot use pain-relieving drops and tablets long time. They are needed for temporary removal pain symptom to hold out until going to the doctor. Do not delay treatment, otherwise complications may develop.

In the treatment of caries, its prevention is very important. If you maintain good hygiene and take care of your teeth at all times, you can avoid tooth decay. Brush your teeth twice a day, rinse your mouth with water after meals, eat less sweets, and use dental floss. You need to go regularly prophylactic appointment to the dentist to remove tartar and, if necessary, treat caries at an early stage. Timely measures are the basis for healthy and strong teeth!

Video: how to deal with childhood caries

Absolutely every person encounters caries at least once in their life, no matter how well they take care of their health. Sometimes the disease develops due to a strong genetic predisposition or infection in the gums and mucous membranes oral cavity. But since the services of a good dentist are quite expensive, the patient cannot always seek help from a specialized clinic. In such cases, the patient can use one of the home methods for treating carious lesions.

Sage against tooth decay

To prepare the medicine, take 5 g of plant material for every 200 ml of boiling water. Sage is kept in hot water under the lid for 1-2 hours to obtain a fairly concentrated and useful infusion for treatment. The tincture requires rinsing the mouth on the affected tooth side 3-4 times a day, including meals. For better effect You need to moisten a sterile swab in sage and place it on the affected area. Keep the compress like this for 15-20 minutes, also 3-4 times a day. Thanks to its healing effects, the plant inhibits the growth of putrefactive bacteria and the destruction of enamel. Treatment in both cases cannot be continued for more than three weeks.

Attention! In this way, you can only stop the development of caries for a while. Bacteria will not multiply as much as before. But this does not mean that the already rotten part will become healthy, so in the future the affected crown will still have to be treated.

Propolis against caries

This bee product is used to treat many diseases, as it has a powerful antibacterial effect. Since caries is caused by bacteria that literally feed on enamel, propolis can be used to destroy them. It is better to treat the lesion with a bee product chewing teeth, since it is necessary to fix the substance on the affected area for some time, which is not always possible to do on the front teeth. For therapy, you need to roll up a ball of propolis the size of a small pea and place it on the sore tooth. It is necessary to place a sterile cotton or gauze swab on top of the substance. Keep this compress for at least 20 minutes. The procedure should not be done more than 2-3 times per day, even if well tolerated. The course of treatment is no more than 14 days.

Attention! Such a remedy should not be used to treat people who have even a slight intolerance to any bee products. If such recommendations are ignored, anaphylactic shock may develop.

Laundry soap against tooth decay

When using this product, it is important not to swallow any foam that forms as this may cause intestinal disorder. To protect your teeth from developing caries, you need to prepare a good soap solution in 100 ml of water. To do this, you can simply leave the soap in boiling water for 1 hour. After an hour, the water can be used for cleaning. At the same time, laundry soap not only stops the development of caries, but also protects other teeth from a similar disease.

You need to dip a brush into the resulting solution and brush your teeth with it for 3 minutes. The procedure is repeated daily. The beneficial effects are provided by gammaglobulin. It is found in large quantities in soap and is able to eliminate fungi, bacteria and even Trichomonas. After cleaning, you need to rinse your mouth thoroughly to protect the stomach lining.

Attention! When using laundry soap, it is best to undergo a course of treatment. To do this, you need to regularly brush your teeth with it every three weeks, and then take a break for the same period.

Onion rinses against caries

This method is one of the oldest, it was used back in the 18-19th century. To prepare the medicine, you will need to grind the onion peel to make 3 teaspoons of the mixture. This amount of raw material is poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water and brought to a boil again. After three minutes, remove the pan from the heat. The resulting broth is filtered through cheesecloth. After this, the water is infused for 6-8 hours. You can use onion rinse up to 5-6 times, including meals and basic teeth brushing. At the same time as preventing caries, it is possible to disinfect the oral cavity and heal small wounds. Onions can be used for up to two months.

Fir oil against caries

For treatment, you need to moisten a sterile swab with fir oil and first apply it to back wall tooth, gradually moving the cotton to the side and front parts of the crown. Hold the compress on each area for 2-5 minutes. You can repeat the procedure up to 4-5 times during the day. Great for holding combination treatment caries at home. Fir is not used for more than a week.

Attention! This remedy can also be used for developing toothache. Especially good fir oil helps with aching type of discomfort. The substance should be used in the same way as for the treatment of caries.

Garlic in the treatment of carious lesions

To treat, you will need to grind 1-2 cloves of garlic into a paste. The resulting product should be placed on the sore spot and, if possible, fix the paste with a cotton or gauze swab. Garlic stops the proliferation of many types of bacteria, reducing the rate of putrefactive processes. At the same time, regeneration of the tissues of the oral mucosa and gums occurs. It is also possible to prevent bleeding gums, since saliva is saturated with substances from garlic and washes them. The gruel can be applied up to 3-5 times a day for 10 days.

Attention! This method should be used with great caution by people suffering from ulcers or other lesions of the gastrointestinal mucosa. If consumed frequently, garlic can cause exacerbation of diseases.

Camphor alcohol against carious lesions

Also an excellent remedy for protecting enamel from developing caries. To do this, you need to take a small piece of cotton wool, preferably sterile, this will protect the tooth from other bacteria entering the affected pulp. After moistening the cloth a little with camphor alcohol, cotton wool is applied to the diseased area. You need to keep it there for 5-7 minutes; if you can’t stand it for that long, the session can be interrupted. For better effect and protection of adjacent teeth, they also need to be lubricated with camphor alcohol. It is also recommended to treat the gums with the substance. The procedure is performed 1-2 times a day for a week.

Attention! It is better not to use camphor during pregnancy and childhood so as not to provoke undesirable consequences, most often they manifest themselves in the form of allergic reactions.

Baking soda to prevent tooth decay

For treatment, you can use a classic rinse solution. It is prepared at the rate of a teaspoon of soda per 0.2 liters of water. Or you can prepare a paste that is applied to the affected tooth for 15 minutes. To prevent it from being accidentally swallowed, you need to place a small piece of cotton wool or gauze on top of the soda. After the procedure, the oral cavity must be rinsed thoroughly. You can repeat such manipulations up to 3 times a day. Soda is not used for such purposes for more than 6-8 weeks.

Attention! Soda should only be used in combination with other products, since despite the real effect, it lasts a short time. In addition, it is also recommended to remove from the diet most foods with a lot of sugar, acids and other harmful substances, including coffee and strong tea.

Video - Caries, how to treat with folk remedies?

Doctors' opinions on caries treatment at home

Experts are extremely negative about such self-medication, comparing therapy to eliminate caries with surgery to remove an inflamed appendix. Patients will definitely not decide to perform it at home. Also, you should not treat carious lesions with various rinses or other home-made products.

In many cases, such a decision led to the following consequences:

development of periodontal disease, which leads to tooth loss;
inflammation of the gums and oral cavity;
the appearance of cysts and granulomas, the treatment of which will be very expensive;
the appearance of flux and purulent formations;
inflammation of the lymph nodes;
severe sensitivity of gums and teeth even to warm food;
swelling of the cheek from the formed caries.

Attention! In severe cases due to the use of a number of prescriptions home treatment caries, doctors had to remove teeth and replace them with removable or other types of implants. As a result, the therapy cost the patient several times more than when treating ordinary caries.

Medicines to control tooth decay at home

The product's name	Purpose	Price in Russia in rubles
	Paste with vitamin complex	150
	To be applied to tooth enamel twice a week	300
	Treatment of caries at the white spot stage	40-400
	Rinse aids, pastes	200-500
	Rinse aids, pastes	200-500
	Pills	100

Popular pastes such as Blend-a-Med and Colgate, sold in every store, are not medicinal. They perform their main function of cleaning the teeth and oral cavity from food, plaque and other substances, but when caries appears, they will in no way be able to stop its development. Only some pastes are truly medicinal, containing a large amount of vitamins, minerals and special additives for enamel.

In addition, whitening complexes can harm teeth even more than candy and sugar. They can be used no more than 1-2 times a week, and ideally it is better to abandon them altogether. Whitening pastes and rinses contain aggressive components that whiten the enamel, but at the same time gradually destroy it.

Attention! Many of these products can be included in your daily dental care routine. This will strengthen the enamel, sanitize the oral cavity, and protect the gums and mucous membranes from infections due to the formation of small wounds.

Despite the fact that dental services are quite expensive, you can always seek advice and treatment from a doctor general practice, which works for free in any district clinic. In any case, this will give a faster and safer result than using traditional methods. Experts insist that such self-medication only worsens the patient’s condition over time, since carious enamel should be carefully ground down and restored using special composites.

Getting rid of dental caries at home is a very difficult task, and from the dentist’s point of view, completely unacceptable: the doctor would immediately say that you need to run to the nearest clinic and solve your problem there. And to a person who understands the very nature of this disease, it is obvious that caries is not just an infection; a simple tablet or alcohol tincture cannot destroy it.

There are cases when particularly desperate (or desperate) patients try to scrape caries from a tooth with sandpaper or scrape with a steel needle. Others approach the issue in an even more sophisticated way and try to whiten darkened carious areas with bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

How effective and dangerous is all this? And is there really effective methods that allow you to get rid of caries yourself at home? Let's find out...

A little about self-treatment

Generally speaking, caries is somewhat similar to pathologies such as, for example, inflammation of the appendix, a deviated nasal septum or a stomach ulcer. But no one ever thinks about cutting off the ridge on the septum of the nose with a chisel or doing abdominal surgery on the stomach at home in front of the mirror. For some reason, many people are ready to treat caries at home.

It is impossible to get rid of caries, which is already clearly visible on the teeth, at home. Caries is the destruction of tooth tissue, first enamel, then dentin. Moreover, this process is irreversible: people’s teeth are not restored, enamel does not grow on its own, and removal of caries at home, alas, is only possible in the stories of village healers.

However, at the very early stage of the disease, when caries is a light white spot on the enamel (or slightly pigmented), you can actually get rid of it on your own. But this can only be done after consulting a dentist.

If you try to get rid of caries on your own, using folk remedies, grandmother’s recipes or advice from friends, you can end up with complications due to which the tooth will need to be removed. There are cases when, after such postponements of a visit to the dentist and independent experiments, it was necessary to treat gingivitis and periodontitis against the background of trauma to the gum mucosa in the form of a chemical burn from “grandmother’s recipes.”

Caries at the stain stage is easiest to see in the mouth in a mirror on the front teeth. It can be difficult to see such stains on the contact and oral surfaces of teeth (as well as on the buccal surfaces of molars). Sometimes they are simply ignored.

Especially acute pain does not occur at this stage (especially on molars, which are not reached by cold air during breathing), and in most cases, the carious stain is identified by the doctor during examination. The time it takes for such a stain to form is usually from 3 to 12 months.

From a purely psychological point of view, patients who tend to look for ways to get rid of caries at home almost always wait until the last minute and go to the doctor with acute or unbearable pain. In such cases, the moment when the tooth could still be cured on your own, but under the supervision of a doctor, is already missed, and the doctor, at best, has to prepare the tooth and put a filling.

“I tried different folk methods for caries. Propolis tincture first, rinsed her mouth. No result. I applied radish with honey every day for about two months. Nothing noticeable happened either. I tried to remove caries with bleach, but ended up in the clinic with burns to my gums and tongue. The doctor there looked at me like I was crazy. As a result, in half an hour, my caries was drilled out and a filling was installed. They didn’t give an injection, but there was no pain at all. In general, all games with folk recipes are my great stupidity. Now if I see that a spot has appeared somewhere, I immediately go to the clinic, and for 800 rubles they solve all my problems.”

Anna, Rostov-on-Don

And most importantly - the only one truly effective method fighting caries at home involves strictly following the doctor’s instructions after diagnosing the disease and determining the stage of its development. The doctor will make a conclusion about whether treatment without filling is possible at all, assess the cariogenic situation in the mouth, treat damaged enamel, and prescribe the procedure for use necessary funds at home. And then, carrying out the treatment independently, the patient will have to go for follow-up examinations with the agreed regularity.

What can you do at home?

At home, two are possible enough effective ways combating initial caries:

Tooth treatment special gels, which contribute to the restoration of enamel. This approach is possible and effective only in the early stages of caries development, when only the enamel is partially damaged and the disease has not yet affected the dentin.
Prevention of caries when the teeth are not yet affected (or well cured), but the cariogenic situation in the oral cavity requires the use of additional protective measures.

In any case, before using remineralizing gels at home, the doctor must find all areas on the teeth that need to be treated. Sometimes it is also necessary to prepare such areas with special means.

Simply buying a gel at the pharmacy and starting to smear it on a carious tooth, even if only with a stain at an early stage, is highly undesirable, since such treatment may be incomplete and insufficient. And therefore – ineffective.

Other methods of getting rid of caries can only be implemented by a specialist. By the way, the procedure for applying the drug ICON, which is quite popular today, takes an hour and a half in the clinic and does not require any effort on the part of the patient. And the result will be even more reliable than when using remineralizing gels.

At home, the fight against caries usually comes down to its prevention.

From the practice of a dentist

The modern ICON technique for getting rid of caries in the spot stage allows you to solve the problem of initial damage to the enamel in literally one day without the use of a drill. This is a microinvasive therapy with minimal tissue damage in the demineralization zone. It is carried out without anesthesia and does not cause discomfort. It is used for caries spots on vestibular (external) and approximal (contact) surfaces - each type has its own set of preparations.

The essence of the technique is that after removing plaque, a dense pseudo-healthy layer of enamel is removed, and a light-curing polymer material is introduced (infiltrated) into the tissue lesion. The polymer resin seals the pores in the subsurface layer of enamel, which gives a good result, and for a long time. The infiltration technique is based only on the application chemical compounds without mechanical treatment of the tooth, which allows it to be actively used in children from the age of 3. Like any technique, it requires mandatory monitoring and recording of the result within a period set individually by the dentist.

Competent prevention of caries at home

Rules for preventing caries at home are numerous and are not limited to brushing your teeth twice a day. Preventive methods of combating caries are divided into three groups:

System;
Local;
Additional.

Systemic preventive measures include:

Maintaining a healthy diet with a minimum amount of confectionery and flour, the presence of dairy products, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits is mandatory.
Prevention of vitamin deficiencies.
Consumption of fluoride tablets and products with a high fluoride content, including fluoridated water and salt (under the strict supervision of a dentist).
Streamlining your diet - avoiding snacking and eating at night (getting rid of this bad nighttime habit can really prolong the life of your teeth).
Quickly combat somatic diseases that weaken the immune system.

In the same section, you can add control over the temperature of food - too hot and cold foods contribute to the appearance of microcracks in the enamel.

Local methods of prevention include:

Brushing your teeth with the right toothpastes;
Using special rinses and solutions for treating teeth;
Brushing your teeth after eating with floss, and only in the absence of them - using toothpicks.

And already to additional measures dental care includes use chewing gum no more than 15 minutes and only after eating, as well as regular removal of smoker’s plaque on the teeth.

In any case, to prevent caries, even without signs of its presence on the teeth, you should definitely go to the dentist for an examination. If there are no damaged teeth and no treatment will be performed, such an examination will be inexpensive and painless. But it is during this period that the doctor will be able to assess the cariogenic situation in the mouth, calculate special indices, correctly draw up a list of drugs that can be used for prevention at home, and also explain the rules for using dental protection products and select a set of them that will optimally suit a particular person. to the patient.

Products for protection against caries for every day

Means for combating caries at home are quite numerous, and the choice the right drug can be quite difficult for an unprepared person.

First of all, toothpastes are selected for cleaning teeth. Most of them are therapeutic and prophylactic, that is, they not only clean teeth from the plaque that forms, but also supply the enamel with macro- and microelements, and help prevent diseases of the teeth and gums. In fact, they also allow you to get rid of the most early manifestations caries in the form of demineralization of the enamel, which may even be visually indistinguishable (but sometimes, for example, it reveals itself as a regular feeling of soreness in the mouth).

To strengthen enamel and clean teeth after caries treatment, you should purchase pastes with fluoride and calcium. It is these substances that strengthen the enamel when the paste comes into direct contact with it. Suitable toothpastes for this are, for example, New Pearl Fluorine, Fluorodent, Colgate Maximum, Lacalut Fluor, Pepsodent.

In areas where there is already a lot of fluoride in the water, using pastes with it can be harmful due to the risk of an overabundance of this element in the body. The use of such pastes by children should be especially monitored - even children's pastes with a reduced amount of fluoride should be used very carefully. Here, a lot depends on the individual characteristics of the patient, the properties of the paste and some other factors - everything should be carried out as directed and under the supervision of the dentist.

If teeth wear quickly, you should purchase pastes with low abrasiveness and a high fluoride content to restore enamel. You should be especially careful when purchasing a toothpaste with a teeth whitening function - often such toothpastes simply erase plaque and then damage the enamel (that is, they whiten precisely due to their increased abrasive properties). It is much more reliable to use therapeutic and prophylactic toothpastes with average cleaning ability, in combination with a good brush and proper brushing technique.

It is useful for smokers professional hygiene teeth and learn the same correct technique brushing teeth. Yellow plaque It usually occurs on their teeth precisely because of improper use of a toothbrush.

Pastes with antimicrobial enzymes also contribute to the effective prevention of caries. But they should be alternated with the use of other pastes, since their regular use can not only save you from cariogenic bacteria, but also lead to a disruption in the composition of the microflora in the mouth and the development of resistance in pathogenic microorganisms to the enzymes themselves.

It is useful to choose threads for cleaning the interdental space that contain fluoride. Among them are Paro Riser-Floss, PresiDENT, Jordan InBetween, but you can buy almost any that are available in pharmacies. Almost all of them contain mint flavoring.

Rinses that protect against caries are also quite numerous, and it is also best to entrust the choice of them to a doctor. The rinsers Bionorm, Fluorodent, Elmex are very well known.

When home treatment will only cause harm

But the majority folk recipes against caries are frankly useless, and many are even harmful.

For example, rinsing the mouth with decoctions of herbs and other natural preparations - chamomile, sage, oak bark - has an anti-inflammatory effect, but will absolutely not help remove caries at home. The situation is similar with alcohol tinctures of propolis, Japanese Sophora and simple alcohol or vodka - they can only disinfect inflamed gums or relieve pain.

But trying to get rid of caries by regularly using powdered milk or honey is downright dangerous. The carbohydrates contained in them only promote the proliferation of bacteria and lead to more intensive development of caries.

And in no case should you try to remove caries yourself at home using mechanical or chemical methods. In villages and in army units, it comes to the point that they try to clean off caries with sandpaper - it is obvious that even after going through such torture, after a couple of months the patient will find caries still there. Bacteria, which once did their job, will do it again, but on exposed dentin or damaged enamel - much faster.

Previously, among folk methods, there was a way to rid teeth of caries using hydrogen peroxide. This technique has practically no effect, but it may well lead to burns of the oral cavity.

From dental practice

One of my colleagues had an epic case when a girl came to see him with literally burnt gums, tongue and inner surfaces of her cheeks. As it turned out, she tried to get rid of caries at home in 1 day and at the same time whiten her teeth with the “Toilet duckling”. When a colleague asked her if she had any doubts about the product’s ability to dissolve literally everything, including stubborn plaque on tiles, she replied that the product’s jar stated that it was safe for enamel.

Let's look at the root: why are you so afraid of doctors?

Those who are afraid to treat their teeth, remembering the terrible drills of their Soviet childhood, or those who simply spare money for a filling, usually try to get rid of caries in one way or another at home. Both of these reasons break down in reality:

And most importantly: caries is a disease against which there are no effective folk remedies. Trying to treat it at home without the supervision of a doctor is like removing your appendix with scissors on the couch. Be prudent and take advantage of the modern benefits of civilization, and leave the prejudices about greedy dentists and the sparks from the eyes in clinics to those who please others with black teeth.

The best thing you can do at home to treat caries is to call your friends, choose good clinic and make an appointment with the dentist. Take care of yourself!

Interesting video: preparing a tooth with a drill when treating caries

What is important to know about caries and its treatment at the dentist

Caries are small depressions or cavities caused by decay of tooth tissue. They occur as a result of plaque and bacteria forming on the surface of the teeth, poor oral hygiene and (according to some dentists) a lack of essential minerals in the diet. In most cases, caries is irreversible and requires dental treatment using fluoride-based medications, fillings and tooth extractions. However, recent evidence suggests that tooth decay can be treated at home using a combination of proper nutrition and remineralization of teeth. This article reviews both options and, above all, provides you with guidance on how to prevent tooth decay.

Steps

Part 1

Seeking Dental Care

You must understand the symptoms of tooth decay. It is important to be able to recognize the symptoms and signs of tooth decay as early as possible after it occurs. This will give you an advantage in treating it, preventing it from spreading and becoming more painful. If you feel one or more of the following symptoms you probably have caries:

Visit your dentist. It is recommended that you visit your dentist about twice a year to check your oral health. Be that as it may, if you suspect that you have caries, do not wait for your preventive appointment, make an appointment with the dentist immediately. At the reception:

Explain the symptoms and any signs of tooth decay that you notice. This will help the dentist determine the location of the decay.
Get tested. The dentist will perform an examination to confirm that you have tooth decay. Often, he/she will use a sharp metal object to feel soft spots on the surface of the tooth, which will indicate the presence of tooth decay.

Take advantage of fluoride treatment. Fluoride therapy is used in the early stages of tooth decay because fluoride helps teeth heal.

Place a seal. Filling, also known as a restorative procedure, is used when tooth decay has penetrated deep into the enamel and become permanent.

Place a crown. A custom-made covering of a tooth called a crown is another way to treat tooth decay. This is only necessary if the tooth decay is particularly extensive. A crown is made from a tooth-like material attached to metal.

Check the root canal. A root canal may be the only way for decay to penetrate deep into the pulp of the tooth, leaving the tooth in the middle to be destroyed, infected, or dead.

If a tooth cannot be saved, it must be removed. The only option to deal with caries that has damaged the entire tooth is extraction.

Part 2
Treatment of caries at home
1. It is worth understanding that caries can be cured at home. New research shows that the traditional approach to treating dental caries may be flawed, and tooth decay can be stopped or treated at home. While this may seem unlikely, stop for a few seconds and think about it. If skin tissue and bones can heal and repair themselves, why can't teeth?
  
  Limit your intake of foods high in phytic acid. Phytic acid is the main form in which phosphorus is stored in foods. It is found mainly in foods such as grains, seeds, nuts and legumes. Although these foods have traditionally been marketed as healthy, they can have a negative effect on the health of your teeth and bones.
  
  Remineralize your teeth. When suffering from tooth decay, it is very important to remineralize your teeth as this will help any decaying teeth to recover. You can do this using toothpaste with fluoride or mouth rinse.
  
  Take supplements. Most people cannot get the required amount of minerals and fat-soluble vitamins simply together with food - the result of poor or improper nutrition. So taking supplements in capsule form is a great and easy alternative.
  - Take fermented fish oil or butter. These two supplements are full of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K, which are essential for maintaining dental health. They can be taken alone or in combination in capsules.
  - Take Vitamin D. Vitamin D is the first thing Dr. Price recommends in his research on dental regeneration. Even if you make no other changes to your diet, consuming vitamin D will make a noticeable difference in reducing tooth decay.
  - Take magnesium, calcium and vitamin C.
2. Consume teeth-restoring foods. In order to have strong snow-white teeth, you should change your diet to include more foods that help strengthen and develop teeth and bones. Including healthy fats in your diet – The best way do it.