What happens when a cavity forms

Every day we are bombarded by special gum, toothpaste, and mouthwashes that supposedly help to reduce the risk of cavities, but what exactly are cavities? In order to understand what happens when a cavity forms, we first need to know how the tooth responds to certain elements such as sugar which is the primary cause of cavities.

The first thing to understand is that the mouth automatically secretes a type of film in order to keep the tongue and gums moist. While this film is a good thing, it is a double edged sword as it can also be a bad thing. This film can coat the teeth and build up on top of the teeth which can be a very bad thing if sugar is trapped between this film and the tooth enamel. Because of this, teeth must be brushed at least twice daily to remove the film, and anything else that has begun to build up on the teeth. If teeth are not cleaned or brushed, the sugar can cause a lot of damage.

Tooth enamel is quite soft, even though it feels hard to the touch. Sugar feeds on this enamel as the germs and bacteria that break down sugar are also able to break down the tooth enamel while feeding off of the sugar. The sugar deposits make a great breeding ground for these bacteria to start their work on breaking down the tooth enamel. The bacteria can start to break away at the tooth enamel and even get inside the tooth. When this happens, the bacteria start working a cavity in the tooth which results in a pocket of plaque where tooth enamel used to be. In order to stop the cavity from spreading into the entire tooth, or onto surrounding teeth, the dentist must fully remove the infected area. This usually involved drilling out the tooth enamel that surround the cavity in order to completely eliminate the area infected. The dentist then fills the tooth with composite material to prevent cavities from happening again.

By understanding how cavities form, it can help people to want to brush their teeth more as they more they brush, the less likely they will be to experience cavities. This can help to save people money as they will have to spend less time at the dentist office, but when cavities do arrive, the dentist is there to make sure that your teeth are restored to a healthy state.

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