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Tooth Decay
The cavity prone years: Children and AdolescentsAs you probably realize, children and adolescents together form a population group that often has a problem with the formation of tooth decay. These "cavity prone years" are no doubt at least partially related to the fact that young people sometimes have diets that are very high in sugar consumption. Additionally, young people can sometimes be less rigorous in their brushing and flossing habits than is really in their best interest.
Beyond these factors, the contents of this page describe a few problems related to tooth decay that can occur and are unique to children. They are:
- Using dental sealants as a means of helping to prevent tooth decay.
- Baby bottle caries / Baby bottle tooth decay.
- Braces and the risk for developing white spot lesions.
How does tooth decay form?If tooth decay is a location on a tooth where its mineral content has been dissolved away and a hole has formed (a process called demineralization), how does this action occur? The answer is, the demineralization of a tooth is caused by acids, acids that are created by certain types of bacteria that live in our mouths.
Bacteria are living organisms just like we are. As you know, humans consume food and produce waste products that are subsequently excreted. Bacteria do the same thing. The bacteria that are capable of causing cavities (mutans streptococci and lactobacilli) consume sugars as food (glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, or cooked starches). The waste products these bacteria create from having consumed these sugars are the acids (especially lactic acid) which cause a tooth's demineralization (tooth decay formation).
The bacteria that live in our mouths eat when we do. So, as we ingest foods which contain sugars (such as soda, candy, milk, and even fruits and vegetables or the juices made from them) the bacteria get a meal too, and within minutes they start producing the acids which cause tooth decay. |
- Factor in the formation of tooth decay :
- When oral bacteria consume sugars they produce the acids which cause tooth demineralization (tooth decay formation).
- Cavity prevention suggestion :
- The smaller amount of sugars you consume, or the fewer times you consume sugars, or the shorter the amount of time a concentration of sugars is allowed to persist in your mouth, the less acid which will be produced oral bacteria.
- Use artificial sweeteners rather than natural sugars.
- Reduce the amount of time sugars remain in your mouth. Brush and floss, or at least rinse, promptly after consuming sugary foods.
- Don't continually snack on or sip on sugary foods and beverages over prolonged periods. Eat or drink them fairly promptly and then clean your teeth.
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Oral bacteria and dental plaque: location, location, location.Everyone's mouth is inhabited by bacteria, in fact a single human mouth can contain more microorganisms than there are people on planet Earth. While you can't sterilize your mouth you can minimize your potential for the formation of tooth decay. This is done by way of not allowing the bacteria that are present to form organized colonies on the surface of your teeth. These colonies are called "dental plaque." |
  Dental plaque not only provides living quarters for bacteria but it also helps to hold the acid produced by these bacteria up against the tooth's surface. Take a look at our diagram to the left. Acids created by bacteria that lie near the surface of the dental plaque will possibly seep out off the plaque's surface and into our mouths. This acid will get diluted, buffered, and/or washed away by saliva and the foods we eat and drink and isn't the acid that will be especially instrumental in actually forming tooth decay. |
| The acid which will demineralize a tooth and hence cause tooth decay formation is the acid which seeps in the other direction, on through the plaque down to the tooth's surface. This acid will be held right up against the tooth and because down at this depth there is less dilution, buffering, or washing away by saliva the acid will be in very concentrated form (a pH of 4 or lower). |
- Factor in the formation of tooth decay :
- Decay occurs in those areas where dental plaque lies on a tooth's surface.
- Cavity prevention suggestion :
- Brush and floss often and effectively.
- Brush and floss after every meal or snack.
- Take the time to be thorough with your brushing and flossing. Those places where you don't clean well are exactly the same locations where cavities will be most likely to occur.
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| As time goes by the buffering agents found in saliva can penetrate through dental plaque and neutralize the acids which are present, however this can take as long as two or more hours. |
- Factor in the formation of tooth decay :
- Acid formation, and hence demineralization and tooth decay formation, begins within minutes of the bacteria receiving a sugary meal. It can take up to several hours for saliva to penetrate the layer of dental plaque and neutralize these acids.
- Cavity prevention suggestion :
- Brush and floss promptly after eating so to make sure the dental plaque has been cleaned off the surface of your teeth.
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| The amount of demineralization that the acids can cause is related to the age of the dental plaque that is present. The age of dental plaque relates to its thickness, chemical nature, and what types of bacteria inhabit it. In response to an identical exposure to sugars, plaque which is only a few hours old will produce much less tooth demineralization than plaque which is several days old. |
- Factor in the formation of tooth decay :
- The longer the plaque has been present, the more capable it is of causing tooth damage.
- Cavity prevention suggestion :
- Brush and floss often and effectively. Take the time to be thorough with your brushing and flossing.
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