Going to the dentist is stressful for many. But that's what it is big mistake. The thing is that from time to time caries appears on the teeth and if the disease is not cured initial stage, in the future there may be not very pleasant consequences.
Why does tooth decay occur?
Human saliva has natural acidity, which tends to decrease during meals, especially if the food is sweet. After eating, unnoticeable food residues remain on the teeth in which bacteria develop. When the acidity of saliva increases again, teeth may develop small cracks through which bacteria enter the tooth. Bacteria destroy enamel, resulting in caries.
The first signs of caries cause slight pain, which quickly subside. That is why the patient simply does not know that he has a disease and therefore does not contact the dentist in a timely manner. But if during adoption cold or hot food appeared slight pain, this is the first sign that caries is taking place.
Why is caries dangerous?
It is generally accepted that caries is not dangerous disease, but in reality everything is far from the case. When the enamel is destroyed, the oral cavity loses its protection and any infection can get inside. That is why you should visit them at least 2 times a year.
It is also worth knowing that the primary stage of caries destroys only the enamel, but if treatment is not carried out within for a long time, will start soft dental tissue also deteriorates. As a result, pulpitis will occur, a more complex disease, the treatment of which takes a lot of time and money.
Pulpitis is an inflammation of the dental nerve, as a result of which the entire dental canal must be cleaned. Accordingly, after such protection, the tooth becomes lifeless and can collapse quite quickly. If you also start pulpitis, you can introduce many diseases into the body. Namely sinusitis, meningitis and other inflammatory infections.
Another consequence of caries is periodontitis, that is, inflammation of the gum tissue. When periodontitis occurs, gums become inflamed and cannot hold their teeth properly. Naturally, teeth begin to become loose and fall out over time. Cure periodontitis completely can be very difficult.
Prevention of caries
To avoid the occurrence of caries, it is necessary in a timely manner, and most importantly, to properly care for your own teeth.
- You need to give up sweet soda, which instantly damages tooth enamel.
- Costs reduce the amount of sweets, since sugar and other substances negatively affect not only upper layer tooth, but also for the entire oral cavity as a whole.
- Choosing the right toothbrush, no matter what toothpaste. Dentists have long been saying that expensive oral products differ only in their pleasant taste and aroma.
- After each meal it is necessary brush your teeth or at least rinse your mouth herbal balms.
- Visit the dentist at least 2 times a year.
Caries itself is not dangerous if it is treated in a timely manner. But if you do not pay attention to this disease, the consequences can be serious.
Caries is insidious because at first it does not cause serious concern on the part of the person. At an early stage, it does not cause concern and the patient gets the impression that the disease is not serious. And only when the affected tooth begins to hurt, most people turn to the dentist for help. And treating the consequences in an advanced stage is much more difficult than curing initial caries.
The disease is characterized complete absence symptoms that warn of its development. The patient may be completely sincerely unaware of the presence of the disease. Detect caries on early stages maybe only experienced doctor. Therefore, it is important to follow the recommendations of dentists and visit the doctor at least 1-2 times a year.
So, to what unpleasant consequences can lead to caries if left untreated:
- There is a danger of such serious complications as pulpitis and periodontitis. Pulpitis is an acute inflammation of the pulp, in which the pain becomes simply unbearable. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of tissues and is also difficult and long to treat. Acute forms of caries cause inflammatory processes V soft tissues gums, and sometimes the face, and the patient may swell not only the gums, but also the cheek.
- A serious consequence of caries, especially if it is not treated at all, is presence of a constant source of infection V human body, and this is fraught with more serious consequences - such as the development of diseases of cardio-vascular system, and inflammatory diseases joints. Agree that all this looks quite scary, and it is much easier to seek help from a dentist in a timely manner.
- The presence of a constant source of infection in the mouth can lead to the development of various chronic allergic reactions . Sometimes the patient himself cannot understand what he is allergic to, since it seems that the body reacts to literally everything. And imagine the patient’s surprise when it turns out that the cause of the allergy is banal caries!
- Without proper treatment, caries gradually completely destroys the tooth.. The absence of a tooth affects the quality of chewing food. And if food is not chewed properly, this has an adverse effect on the condition. gastrointestinal tract, and if not one, but several teeth are lost at once, and this situation lasts for years, serious illnesses stomach.
- The aesthetic side of the issue also plays an important role. A smile looks beautiful if a person has healthy and strong teeth. If they are affected by caries, darkened, collapsed or fall out, oh beautiful smile out of the question. You begin to feel embarrassed about your teeth, avoid communicating with friends, and feel uncomfortable in company. All this negatively affects the quality of life, inevitably leading to depression. So isn’t it easier to seek help in time and cure your teeth than to suffer and suffer for many years?
In the article, we did not set ourselves the goal of scaring you with the possible consequences of caries. We were just trying to warn you and explain how dangerous caries really is. We hope that our article helped you make the right decision and see a dentist, even if you are this moment nothing bothers me.
Tooth decay by caries is a pathological disease that develops in hard tissues. Doctors say that the disease (on different stages) occupies a leading position among pathologies in dentistry. The development of dental caries occurs gradually, begins without pain with small spots, and ends with tooth loss. It is not difficult to detect the disease; the symptoms of dental caries are quite obvious. Why does the disease occur? How many methods are there to combat the disease, what to do with the affected areas and is it painful to be treated? Let's look further.
Caries - what is it?
The most common oral disease is caries. It affects more than half of the world's population. Emergence and development pathological process leads to damage to the enamel. Not timely treatment caries destroys hard tissues finally. For greater clarity, pay attention to the photo of the affected teeth in comparison with healthy ones.
Signs of caries are as follows:
- appearance dark spots on enamel;
- discomfort in destroyed areas;
- formation of "holes".
The etiology of the disease is quite complex. There are a number of other signs, including: pain in the gums and cheeks, discomfort when chewing, or eating hot or cold food. If you ignore the symptoms and start the process of spots developing, the following will happen:
- the diameter of the darkening that appears will increase;
- superficial damage will penetrate deep into dentin;
- further development the pathological process will provoke the appearance of a “hole”.
Caries on the front teeth causes particular discomfort (the incisor hurts, acutely “reacting” to temperature changes), and also creates significant aesthetic inconvenience (see photo of caries above). Thanks to modern methods treatment to stop the disease and carious changes, returning healthy smile, possible in one go.
Signs with photos and symptoms of the disease
How quickly caries develops is primarily due to the reasons that caused it - we will talk about the most typical of them below. Now let's deal with characteristic features diseases. Carious cavities manifest themselves in different ways, which directly depends on the degree of damage. The first stage of enamel darkening has a delayed hidden reaction. Tooth sensitivity may increase when eating the following foods:
- very hot food;
- cold snacks, drinks, etc.;
- salty foods.
Increased sensitivity is observed periodically, especially aggravated after white spot on the enamel it gradually turns brown. The initial stage of the lesion is characterized by the following symptoms:
- chemical irritants lead to pain, but immediately after the pathogen has been eliminated, this factor goes away;
- when the dental neck is affected, pain occurs at the site of pressure when eating solid food.
The middle stage of caries disease has the following additional symptoms:
Deep caries is characterized by aggravation of previously diagnosed signs:
- any irritant provokes pain;
- carious cavities are large and dark.
When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor so as not to cause harm or trigger the disease. It is important to recognize the development of caries in time and begin to treat it already at the “ white spot", when the basis of therapy can still be used medicinal remineralizing agents. If the process is started, caries treatment will already be invasive.
Types of carious lesions
Pathogenesis in dentistry is considered as the mechanism of the onset and progression of the disease. Typical reasons occurrence of caries in the oral cavity are:
- cariogenic microflora (including carbohydrates);
- violation of hygiene rules;
- reduced immunity.
Cariesogenic factors, which are based on a violation of the acid-base (chemical) balance and the development pathogenic flora, primarily contribute to the destruction of enamel and dentin. Scientists call genetic predisposition a separate cariogenic factor.
Types of caries are classified depending on the degree of tooth damage, the depth of carious cavities, and their location. Stages of disease development with photo illustration:
- The initial stage is a superficial colorless lesion of the enamel, which is not diagnosed by the patient himself. The lateral part of the tooth surface is affected by fissure caries. The stage of manifestation of spots can be stopped if the spot is treated with topical medications and remineralizing agents.
- The pathogenesis of mid-level caries is characterized by spread to the upper layer of dentin. Such caries is dangerous due to the rapid destruction of the tooth. The doctor removes the affected area and fills the cavity.
- Deep dental caries in the process of its development causes destruction of the cavity to the level of dentin, which covers the pulp. Further infection and softening of the tissue occurs - urgent treatment is necessary, since the consequence of untreated caries can be the removal of the pulp and even the tooth itself.
- Atypical form. The cutting edge and tubercle are destroyed. It is treated using an invasive method with the installation of a filling. Complications from this caries are tooth destruction from top to bottom to the deep stage.
Severe advanced caries is difficult to cure. The progressive process inevitably leads to complications: pulpitis, periodontitis, etc.
Dentists also distinguish the following types of caries:
- multiple or systemic;
- root;
- cervical (most often affects the front teeth near the gums) (we recommend reading: photos of the front teeth before and after caries treatment);
- recurrent - occurs under a filling due to serious cariogenic factors.
Causes of caries formation in adults
What causes tooth decay? Streptococci are one of the types of dental microbes present in organic acids, destroying dentin and enamel.
The appearance and proliferation of bacteria begins during the development of pathological biochemical processes - with normal flora in the mouth pathogenic microbes No. The formation of a carious cavity is promoted by:
- poor nutrition and hygiene (carbohydrates and acids are formed due to the remains of rotting food);
- somatic diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract;
- reduced levels of calcium, fluoride and vitamins in the body (pregnancy, chronic diseases, flaw good nutrition, radiation therapy and etc.);
- tartar (hard plaque);
- genetic predisposition.
Treatment - conservative and with removal of carious cavities
Dentists identify two main ways to eliminate the problem:
- Non-invasive - treatment superficial caries teeth occur conservatively, i.e. without drilling. This option is referred to modern type treatment.
- Invasive - treatment by cleaning out the lesions. Before drilling, a detailed examination, medicinal treatment of the carious cavity, removal of the affected areas, and filling are carried out.
How to stop caries? In order to cure caries at the white spot stage, it is enough to saturate the teeth with fluoride and calcium, i.e. remineralize the enamel.
It is possible to cure moderate and deep disease with the help of medicinal treatment of a carious cavity, followed by filling it. The standard stages of caries treatment are as follows:
- removal of the affected part of the tooth;
- restoration of the cavity by filling (the deep stage of the lesion is treated by installing two fillings - temporary and permanent).
Therapy methods in dentistry
Treatment of caries is almost painless. At the initial stage - the stage of the appearance of the stain - treatment of caries in adults and children is carried out without touching the dentin and pulp. Only the top layer of enamel is removed, so the procedure takes place without any discomfort.
The disease at a more serious stage, especially advanced carious lesions of dentin and its expansion inside the tooth, requires treatment of the oral cavity, removal of softened areas using a drill and subsequent installation of a filling.
Is it painful to treat?
The question of whether it is painful to treat caries is of interest to most patients. Treatment in dentistry is carried out at all stages of caries quickly and painlessly. At the first stage, after sanitation of the oral cavity, medicinal treatment is performed. Invasive removal of internal caries is carried out under anesthesia and does not cause discomfort. It is recommended to deal with the problem at the initial stage, then recovery will be quick and painless.
Consequences and complications of untimely treatment of caries
Deep caries is an advanced stage of dental damage, which is the last and requires urgent and high-quality treatment. In case of improper care, the carious cavity turns into pulpitis, characterized by strong painful sensations. You can avoid the consequences by timely contacting the clinic to remove the pulp.
Recurrence may occur if carious cavities form between the filling and healthy teeth. A photo of this type of caries can be seen below.
Removal of the filling, medicinal treatment and its replacement - new therapeutic method treatment and combating the consequences of complications.
Preventive measures - how to stop the carious process?
After treatment, patients wonder how to prevent caries from occurring in the future. You can avoid the problem by following simple rules:
- take care of and monitor the cleanliness of the oral cavity (the main cause of pathology is the formation of plaque due to food debris);
- maintain a healthy diet (include foods high in microelements and vitamins in the menu);
- visiting a dentist once every six months is a chance that will allow you to diagnose pathology at an early stage and avoid a deep stage that is difficult to treat.
Vaccination against caries formation
There is no vaccine against carious teeth yet. However, some laboratories are conducting research and exchanging experience in this matter.
The human immune system is already “trained” with antibodies that destroy viruses and bacteria. For example, immunoglobulin found in saliva prevents pathogenic microorganisms from reaching the “right target.” Therefore, we repeat, today vaccination against carious lesions is nothing more than an invention of science fiction writers.
Protection products for every day
To effectively protect oral cavity against caries, it is recommended to use pastes with calcium and fluoride. Such compositions are excluded when there are contraindications (for example, a high fluoride content in the water or fluorosis diagnosed in the patient). Purchasing expensive pastes is not necessary. The main thing is that active enzymes and the base filler help destroy plaque and food debris.
Additional oral care products include rinses and flosses that clean the interdental spaces. Special scrapers and brushes are useful for treating the tongue. However, the listed means are not able to stop the already existing destructive process.
Sometimes bacteria are transmitted through a kiss, in which case it is recommended to use chewing gum sugarless. The main thing is not to overdo it - you will not achieve strengthening of the enamel with chewing gum, but if you use it excessively, you can contribute to wear and abrasion of the tooth enamel.
Deep fissures on the occlusal surface of teeth, which were once intended for grinding coarse plant fibers and meat, now, with changes in lifestyle and diet modern man, become the cause of caries.
Of course, they themselves do not cause caries, but they contribute to food getting stuck in them and the accumulation of plaque, which cannot be cleaned with a toothbrush, since its bristles cannot penetrate deep into the fissure (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Toothbrush bristles are not able to clean fissures
Another cause of caries is a decrease in chewing load. It is known that only full functional load on the teeth is the main real factor in the prevention of caries. Proof of this is morphological work at the electronic level and experimental studies conducted both in Russia and abroad. When creating teeth, nature assigned them a lot of work and at the same time found ways for their self-preservation through increased functional load. With the development of civilization, food began to undergo industrial and culinary processing and, accordingly, the load on teeth decreased. According to Prof. Varesa, people living in cities make no more than 2000 chewing movements with a force of up to 3 kg during the day. And nature has provided for a person to make 4000-4500 chewing movements during the day, and at least 30% of them with a force of up to 10-15 kg (gnathodynamometric data of E.Ya. Vares, G.A. Makeev).
Unfortunately, I often heard from my patients that their previous dentist, when asked about the need to treat fissure caries, answered negatively, something like: “This is initial caries - it’s too early to treat it, but when it gets deeper, then We’ll cure you.” Sometimes the patients themselves reason in a similar way: “I’ve had these fissures for several years now, the caries in them is not increasing, why drill the tooth?”
This is an absolutely wrong approach, since one cannot judge the scale of the carious process only by appearance. A thin carious strip along the fissures may turn out to be medium or even deep caries. This is due to the peculiarities of gross anatomy of caries. The carious cavity forms two cones: a small cone in the enamel and a large cone in dentin, with their bases facing the enamel-dentin border (Fig. 2).
Fig.2 Features of gross anatomy of the carious process
This feature is due to the fact that the carious defect, having passed the enamel, reaches less mineralized tissue - dentin - and begins to spread more actively in width. Therefore, the presence of a deep carious cavity can be detected only after a fracture of the thinned enamel covering it, as happened in this patient (Fig. 3).
Fig.3 Tooth 16 before treatment
The treatment of this tooth required much more time, effort and money than a similar one on the opposite side of the jaw, where fissurotomy and fissure sealing were performed, even without the use of anesthesia (Fig. 4 - 8).
Fig.4 The bottom of the carious cavity is covered with Dycal
Fig.5 The tooth is restored by layer-by-layer application of composite material (Esthet-X)
Fig.6 Tooth 16 immediately after restoration (the tooth is overdried, so the restoration is slightly different in color)
Fig.7 Tooth 26 before restoration
Fig.8 After fissurotomy. Pay attention to maximum preservation of healthy tooth tissue
The use of fissurotomy burs (Fissurotomy®) allows for maximum preservation of healthy tissue tooth, which fully answers modern requirements“Biological feasibility” of treatment. The unique design of Fissurotomy® burs lies in the mathematically calculated configuration of the working head of the bur. The length of the bur head corresponds to the average thickness of the enamel layer, the number of cutting edges ensures optimal preparation of pigmented and destructively altered areas of enamel and dentin. (Fig.9,10). This design of the bur allows the most gentle preparation of tooth tissue. (Figure 11-14). It is also important that in most cases, anesthesia is not required.
Fig.9 Fissurotomy Micro NTF bur (Narrow-taper fissurotomy) with the indicated dimensions of the working head
Fig. 10 Fissurotomy Original bur (Original fissurotomy) with the indicated dimensions of the working head
Fig. 11 Teeth 25, 26, 27 before treatment
rice. 12 Fissure preparation using the Fissurotomy Original bur
Fig. 13 maximum preservation of tooth tissue
rice. 14 Teeth after treatment
In conclusion, I would like to note that timely diagnosis and treatment of fissure caries using Fissurotomy® burs can prevent further development and expansion of the carious process, but both the doctor and the patient must fully understand the need for the treatment.
Literature:
1. Causes of caries and periodontal disease. Prof. E.Ya.Vares
From the article “Where did they come from, where did they come and which way to go next.
Social assessment and anticipating the development of dentistry in the 21st century."
2. Fissurotomy® series burs from SS White for the treatment of fissure caries. K.V. Chudinov A.V. Lavrov
There are a great variety of dental diseases, but caries is considered one of the most widespread and widespread. Translated from Latin, this word means “rotting.”
Dental caries - what is it?
Caries is a disease characterized by the gradual destruction of tooth tissue (enamel or dentin). The appearance of “holes in teeth” is caused by changes in microflora and the spread of infection in the oral cavity. This disease is equally dangerous for both adults and children.
Classification
Experts distinguish the following types of caries:
Uncomplicated forms of the disease:
- surface;
- average;
- deep.
Complicated forms of the disease:
- pulpitis;
- periodontitis.
In addition, there is a bottled and cervical caries resulting from demineralization and softening of tooth tissue.
Following another classification, it can be primary or secondary. In the latter case, it appears on previously filled teeth.
Video about the occurrence of caries
Several reasons can lead to the formation of a carious cavity:
- unbalanced diet (excessive consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates, lack of vitamins and microelements);
- poor hygiene oral cavity (untimely removal of plaque);
- special structure of the tooth surface (accumulation of plaque in fissures and spaces between teeth);
- insufficient salivation;
- genetic predisposition.
Symptoms
The pathogenesis or occurrence, the origin of caries occurs in several stages. At the initial stage or “spot” stage, a whitish or darkish speck forms on the enamel.
At the stage of average caries, dentin (mineralized tooth tissue) begins to undergo destruction, and a carious cavity is formed.
And finally, at the stage deep caries the cavity increases in size and exposure to it causes severe pain.
To better understand what the signs of caries look like, you need to look at the photo. Perhaps this measure will help you track the disease at an early stage.
Treatment
The appropriate method of caries treatment is selected by the dentist only after diagnosing the teeth and oral cavity, and it depends on the degree of development of the disease.
The goal of treatment is to remove damaged dentin or enamel and restore tooth function using a variety of filling materials (polymers, cements, metals).
How can you get rid of caries? acute form without unnecessary pain? In this case, during treatment, infiltration and conduction anesthesia is used, for example, a lidocaine solution is injected.
Prevention
The main recommendations of dentists for the prevention of carious diseases are that you should eat right, pay attention to oral hygiene and come for dental examinations every six months. preventive examination to dentistry. Additional measure can serve against caries professional cleaning teeth.
Proper dental care and timely treatment will help you avoid the development of complications such as pulpitis, periodontitis, granuloma, etc.
On the dental portal you have the opportunity to make an appointment with qualified specialists who will conduct full diagnostics teeth and identify the main problems.
