Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is damage to a tooth’s surface, or enamel. It happens when bacteria in your mouth make acids that attack the enamel. Tooth decay can lead to cavities (dental caries), which are holes in your teeth. If tooth decay is not treated, it can cause pain, infection, and even tooth loss.
Our mouths are full of bacteria. Some bacteria are helpful. But some can be harmful, including the ones that play a role in tooth decay. These bacteria combine with food to form a soft, sticky film called plaque. The bacteria in plaque use the sugar and starch in what you eat and drink to make acids. The acids begin to eat away at the minerals on your enamel. Over time, the plaque can harden into tartar. Besides damaging your teeth, plaque and tartar can also irritate your gums and cause gum disease.
You get fluoride from toothpaste, water, and other sources. This fluoride, along with your salvia, helps the enamel repair itself by replacing the minerals. Your teeth go through this natural process of losing minerals and regaining minerals all day long. But if you don’t take care of your teeth and/or you eat and drink lots of sugary or starchy things, your enamel will keep losing minerals. This leads to tooth decay.
A white spot may appear where minerals have been lost. This is an early sign of tooth decay. You may be able to stop or reverse the decay at this point. Your enamel can still repair itself, if you take better care of your teeth and limit sugary/starchy foods and drinks.
But if the tooth decay process continues, more minerals are lost. Over time, the enamel is weakened and destroyed, forming a cavity. A cavity is a hole in your tooth. It is permanent damage that a dentist has to repair with a filling.
The main risk factors for tooth decay are not taking care of your teeth and having too many sugary or starchy foods and drinks.
Some people have a higher risk of tooth decay, including people who:
- Don’t have enough saliva, because of medicines, certain diseases, or some cancer treatments
- Don’t get enough fluoride
- Are very young. Babies and toddlers who drink from bottles are at risk, especially if they are given juice or get bottles at bedtime. This exposes their teeth to sugars for long periods of time.
- Are older. Many older adults have receding gums and more wear on their teeth. These raise the risk of decay on the exposed root surfaces of their teeth.
In early tooth decay, you usually don’t have symptoms. As tooth decay gets worse, it can cause:
- A toothache (tooth pain).
- Tooth sensitivity to sweets, hot, or cold.
- White or brown stains on the surface of a tooth.
- A cavity.
- An infection, which can lead to an abscess (pocket of pus) forming. The abscess can cause pain, facial swelling, and fever.
Dentists usually find tooth decay and cavities by looking at your teeth and probing them with dental instruments. Your dentist will also ask if you have any symptoms. Sometimes you may need a dental x-ray.
There are several treatments for tooth decay and cavities. Which treatment you get depends on how bad the problem is:
- Fluoride treatments. If you have early tooth decay, a fluoride treatment can help the enamel to repair itself.
- Fillings. If you have a typical cavity, your dentist will remove the decayed tooth tissue and then restore the tooth by filling it with a filling material.
- Root canal. If the damage to the tooth and/or an infection spreads to the pulp (inside of the tooth), you might need a root canal. Your dentist will remove the decayed pulp and clean inside the tooth and root. The next step is to fill the tooth with a temporary filling. Then you will need to come back to get a permanent filling or a crown (a cover on the tooth).
- Extraction (pulling the tooth). In the most severe cases, when the damage to the pulp cannot be fixed, your dentist may pull the tooth. Your dentist will suggest that you get a bridge or implant to replace the missing tooth. Otherwise, the teeth next to the gap may move over and change your bite.
Children
- Half of children (50%) aged 6 to 9 years have had at least one cavity in their primary (baby) or permanent teeth.
- 1 in 10 adolescents (10%) aged 12 to 19 years have at least one untreated cavity.
- Children aged 5 to 19 years from low-income families are twice as likely (25%) to have cavities, compared with children from higher-income households (11%).
Adults
- 1 in 5 adults (21%) aged 20 to 64 years have at least one untreated cavity.
- Adults who are male, non-Hispanic Black, low income, have a high school education or less, and currently smoke experienced more untreated cavities compared to their respective reference groups.
Older Adults
- Nearly all adults (96%) aged 65 years or older have had a cavity.
- 1 in 6 adults aged 65 years or older have untreated cavities.
Good oral and dental hygiene can help keep you from getting cavities. Here are some tips to help prevent cavities. Ask your dentist which tips are best for you.
- Brush with fluoride toothpaste after eating or drinking. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, and ideally after every meal, using toothpaste with fluoride. To clean between your teeth, floss or use an interdental cleaner. This cleaner helps reach areas where a toothbrush can’t reach.
- Rinse your mouth. If your dentist feels that you have a high risk of getting cavities, a mouth rinse with fluoride may be recommended.
- Visit your dentist regularly. Get professional teeth cleanings and regular oral exams, which can help prevent problems or spot them early. Your dentist can recommend a schedule that’s best for you.
- Consider dental sealants. A sealant is a protective plastic coating applied to the chewing surface of back teeth. It seals off grooves and crannies that tend to collect food, protecting tooth enamel from plaque and acid. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends sealants for all school-age children. Sealants may last for several years before they need to be replaced, but they need to be checked regularly.
- Drink some tap water. Most public water supplies have added fluoride, which can reduce tooth decay greatly. If you drink only bottled water that doesn’t contain fluoride, you’ll miss out on the benefits of fluoride.
- Avoid snacking and sipping a lot. Whenever you eat or drink beverages other than water, you help your mouth bacteria create acids that can destroy tooth enamel. If you snack or drink throughout the day, your teeth are under constant attack.
- Eat tooth-healthy foods. Some foods and beverages are better for your teeth than others. Avoid foods that get stuck in grooves and pits of your teeth for long periods, or brush soon after eating them. Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables increase saliva flow, and unsweetened coffee, tea and sugar-free gum help wash away food particles.
- Consider fluoride treatments. Your dentist may recommend periodic fluoride treatments, especially if you aren’t getting enough fluoride through fluoridated drinking water and other sources. Your dentist also may recommend custom trays that fit over your teeth to apply prescription fluoride if your risk of tooth decay is very high.
- Ask about antiseptic and disinfecting treatments. If tooth decay is likely — for example, because of a medical condition — your dentist may recommend special antiseptic and disinfecting mouth rinses like chlorhexidine or other treatments to cut down on harmful bacteria in your mouth. Unless your dentist tells you otherwise, mouth rinses, also called mouthwash, generally are not recommended for children younger than the age of 6 so they don’t swallow too much of it.
- Combined treatments. Chewing sugar-free gum along with prescription fluoride and an antibacterial rinse can help reduce the risk of cavities. But in some people, xylitol, which is often found in sugar-free gum or sugar-free candies, may cause gas or diarrhea if consumed in large amounts.
Myth: Baby teeth come out anyway so it doesn’t matter if they have cavities.
Fact: Cavities in children can cause pain and may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Infection from cavities can also hurt adult teeth growing underneath.
Myth: My tooth quit hurting so I don’t need to see the dentist.
Fact: Waiting limits the options dentists have to fix large cavities. Cavities grow and, unless stopped, lead to tooth loss. Missing teeth can affect nutrition and lower your quality of life.
Myth: I’m going to lose my teeth anyway, I should pull my teeth and get dentures.
Fact: More than 4 in 5 adults keep their teeth until they die.4 Missing teeth can make it harder to eat meats, fruits, and vegetables which can lower quality of life.
There are steps that you can take to prevent tooth decay:
- Make sure that you get enough fluoride by
- Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste
- Drinking tap water with fluoride. Most bottled water does not contain fluoride.
- Using fluoride mouth rinse
- Practice good oral health by brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and regularly flossing your teeth
- Make smart food choices by limiting foods and drinks that are high in sugars and starches. Eat nutritious, balanced meals and limit snacking.
- Do not use tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco. If you currently use tobacco, consider quitting.
- See a dentist for regular check-ups and professional cleanings
- Make sure that your children get sealants on their teeth. Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that protect the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Children should get sealants on their back teeth as soon as they come in, before decay can attack the teeth.
References
About Cavities (Tooth Decay) – CDC – available at: https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/about/cavities-tooth-decay.html
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