Tooth decay occurs when your teeth are frequently exposed to foods, especially foods which have carbohydrates like starches and sugars. These food stuffs can include candy, cake and even sticky fruits.
Tooth decay leads to cavities and cavities are bacterial infection which is caused by specific bacteria. Bacteria cover up the whole plaque and form up to 500 different products in the mouth. One among them is acid. Plaque combines with food deposits on your teeth and then acid is produced.
This acid slowly dissolves the calcium in your teeth. It will then destroy the surface of the tooth which is enamel. Enamel contains 97% calcium and this is lost when tooth decay happens. Some other products can also cause gum disease and bad breath and lead to tooth decay. The bacteria which causes tooth decay is called as Streptococcus mutans. Since the acidic plaque rests against the tooth, the acid dissolves the calcium from the surface of the tooth. When sufficient calcium dissolves from the tooth surface, the surface breaks and a hole is formed as a process. This is cavity.
An area of tooth decay can take as long as 6-8 years to dissolve or it could also take a short period of time like six months to dissolve the enamel of the tooth. If you have a cavity, enamel will collapse and will produce a hole which cannot be repaired.
You should brush or floss so that bacteria can not make acid. You must eat foods with sugar between meals which can help your teeth produce acid for 20 minutes. You can imagine the amount of bacteria in your mouth after three meals. This would equal to 60 minutes of acid production in a day.
You must try drinking three soda pops and 3 cups of coffee/tea with sugar between your meals. This will lead to having 180 minutes of acid production in your teeth.
If you snack on foods and drinks which has high sugar and acid, it could feed the bacteria in your mouth. This could also decreaseyour saliva production in mouth. If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, it could also lead to spoiling your teeth.
People who eat food containing high amount of sugar, drink unfluoridated water, have dry mouths. They take different medications and they also have a lot of fillings. People who do not brush often can have a high risk of cavities. In case of a toothache, you must immediately consult the doctor for it could be tooth decay that is posing the problem. Tooth decay can be prevented by initiating steps like brushing teeth after consumption and cleaning the teeth using astringent.