By itself, caries does not cause pain : in the first stage, it is completely asymptomatic. Caries, however, progressively exposing the hard (enamel and dentin ) and soft (pulp) tissues, causes a gradually increasing sensitivity to sudden changes in temperature, sugar and salt .
The first signal that our body sends us is the color change in the nail polish which loses its natural shine becoming more opaque. In the eyes of the less experienced , this feature generally goes unnoticed.
When the caries hits the dentin, a dark groove is clearly visible, containing a stagnation of decaying material (food and disintegrated dental tissue).
When the patient begins to experience toothache , it means that the cariogenic process has gone deep down to the dental pulp. The pain is therefore due to the complication of the primary caries.
As the caries evolves, sinking into the dental pulp, the patient’s clinical picture tends to precipitate . In such circumstances, caries causes the characteristic symptoms of the disease:
- bad breath;
- Hypersensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, salty and sour;
- Pain in the tooth that radiates to surrounding tissue.
To know more:Symptoms Caries
Complications of Caries
Caries, a subtle and insidious disease, causes the gradual destruction of some portions of the dental crown: starting from this stage, carious infection can lead to multiple complications.
When caries destroys the interdental points of contact, the infection degenerates to trigger inflammation of the interdental papilla (papillitis), the gingival section between two teeth .
If, on the other hand, it affects the gingival margin, caries can give rise to unpleasant chronic gingivitis .
When neglected, the carious lesion leads to inflammation of the pulp ( pulpitis ), evolving into an abscess up to the total destruction of the tooth and its root. Among the complications of dental caries, cysts , granuloma, gingivitis, pulp gangrene and, sometimes, pyorrhea cannot be missing .
In these cases a simple filling is no longer sufficient and the dentist will have to proceed with the removal of the infected pulp by filling the root canals of the tooth ( devitalization ).
Caries care
The treatment of choice for the treatment of superficial caries is the filling, or rather the literal sealing of all the fissures and canals that the bacteria , assiduously devouring enamel and dentin, have caused to the unfortunate tooth.
Shutterstock
Caries necessarily requires dental intervention: in fact, dental tissues cannot heal spontaneously since they do not possess regenerative capacity.
The filling cannot be performed when, having reached the dentin, the caries begins its unstoppable demolition process also in the dental pulp. In similar circumstances, caries has given rise to pulpitis, a serious infection of the pulpal tissue which requires root canal treatment to heal.
In some cases, caries evolves in a negative direction, giving rise to a much more serious lesion than pulpitis, which can be a dental granuloma or cyst. In the first case , the infection becomes purulent and confines itself to the gum, jawbone or pulp.
Antibiotic treatment , devitalization and apicectomy are the most suitable interventions to reverse the pathology.
If the caries degenerates into a dental cyst, apicectomy or drainage of the lesion are the most appropriate surgical practices.
In the most extreme cases, or when the tooth is judged irrecoverable, it is necessary to proceed with the extraction of the same.
Prevention
How can cavities be prevented?
The best gesture of love that we can do to safeguard the health of the teeth from caries and other dental infections is undoubtedly to put into practice all the basic rules of dental prevention.
Adequate Dental Hygiene
Maintain thorough dental hygiene with brushing , toothpaste, floss and mouthwash . To effectively clean your teeth you need:
- Brush them at least three times a day, right after each meal or snack;
- Use quality toothpastes ;
- Alternate whiteningtoothpastes (harsh) with more delicate toothpastes (to prevent wearing down tooth enamel );
- Use dental floss at least once a day;
- Rinse mouth with antisepticand fluoride -enriched mouthwashes .
Correct nutrition
Given that the development and proliferation of microscopic enemies of the teeth are favored by food residues that remain trapped between the teeth, it is important to combine correct oral hygiene with adequate nutrition :
- Limit as much as possible the intake of simple sugarssuch as sucrose and glucose ;
- Also beware of complex carbohydrates;
- Avoid caramel, gummy bon bons or sticky foods , which adhere to the tooth like suckers, remaining in the oral cavity for a long time;
- Chew foods well to strengthen your teeth and improve their chewing function.
Dental sealing
Dental sealing is helpful in preventing tooth decay. The procedure involves the application of a special resin on the surface of healthy teeth in an excellent state of health, in order to protect the enamel from any future cariogenic processes.
Professional Dental Hygiene
The recommended booster for professional dental cleaning is every six months: dental hygienists suggest scaling every 6 months or, at most, once a year. Professional dental cleaning is extremely beneficial because, in addition to preventing tooth decay and gum disease, it ensures an enviable state of health for the teeth even in the long term.
Stop smoking
As we know, smoking is the enemy of teeth and oral cavity: the smoking habit is closely related to bad breath, yellow teeth and dental infections. For this reason, it is recommended not to smoke or, if you really can’t stop, limit smoking, cigars and cigarettes as much as possible.
Periodic checks at the dentist
Very useful to surprise in the bud any still asymptomatic infections such as tooth decay in its initial stage.
