New Patients Welcome
Open 7 Days a Week
Call Us Today (954) 923-7348
Tooth Decay Stages: Everything You Need to Know
It is important to be able to recognize the signs and stages of tooth decay. Here is everything you need to know about the tooth decay stages.
Did you know that untreated tooth decay affects more than 26% of adults in the United States? While tooth decay can start off quite innocently, as the tooth decay stages progress, it can turn into a serious problem. In some cases, tooth decay can become so severe that it can result in the loss of teeth.
Everyone wants to have an attractive smile. However, to achieve an attractive smile, you need to commit to proper dental hygiene. Without brushing your teeth and regularly visiting the best dentist, Hollywood, FL, you can risk the health of your teeth.
So, what should you know about the tooth decay stages? In this article, we will explore the five main stages of tooth decay. You will discover how minor tooth decay can soon become a serious and even dangerous problem for not only your teeth but also your health in general.
To start off, let's take a closer look at how and why
tooth decay happens in the first place.
What Is Tooth Decay?
Any dentist in Hollywood, FL, will tell you that brushing and flossing your teeth is important. But why might this be? Your mouth is full of bacteria, some of which are beneficial and some of which are harmful.
As you introduce food, especially sugary food, into your mouth, the harmful bacteria will eat up the food particles and secrete acid into your mouth, and also create plaque. This acid will break down your enamel (the substance that protects your teeth) over time. As plaque builds up over your teeth, it will break down your enamel in a similar way.
This leads to your enamel becoming weak and unable to protect your teeth as it should. Soon, cavities can form and tooth decay can set in. This results not only in unattractive teeth, but can also cause problems such as gum disease, bad breath, abscesses, and infections.
By regularly visiting a dentist around 33020 and brushing your teeth, you can avoid these problems. However, if you ignore dental hygiene, you may find yourself progressing through the stages of tooth decay. Let's take a look at the first stage.
1. Demineralization
If you ask the best dentist 33020 what the first stage of tooth decay is, your answer will be demineralization. As mentioned before, the harmful bacteria in your mouth can produce acid in reaction to the presence of food if you don't brush your teeth. This acid breaks down your enamel via demineralization.
Demineralization involves the bacteria leaching out the minerals in your enamel. As more and more of these minerals are lost, your enamel will grow weaker. The first sign of demineralization on your teeth is the appearance of small white dots.
2. Enamel Decay
Enamel is the hardest tissue in the human body. However, even it is not immune to continued tooth decay. During this stage, the white spots on your teeth will begin to change color.
More often than not, the spots will turn brown. This is a sure sign that your enamel is on its last leg. These spots will soon deepen and will likely turn into cavities.
You may not realize you have cavities right away if you are free of dental pain. Usually, the pain of cavities only appears once they are so deep in the tooth that they are affecting the dental nerves. These deep cavities will need to be filled by a dentist so they don't continue to cause damage.
3. Dentin Decay
If you don't get advice from a dentist in Hollywood, FL, you may not realize you have entered the second stage of tooth decay. This stage occurs when the decay moves past your enamel and starts working on dentin. Dentin is a tissue that exists beneath your enamel layer.
Because dentin is not as hard as enamel, once the decay reaches this layer, it can eat away at the dentin faster than the enamel. Dentin is connected to dental nerves as well. As such, you may develop tooth sensitivity, especially when consuming hot or cold beverages or foods.
At this point, you may still save the quality of your teeth on your own if you start brushing and flossing. However, if you let the decay progress, it can get much worse.
4. Pulp Damage
If you reach this stage and are wondering, "should I make an appointment with a dentist around me?" the answer is affirmative. The pulp is beneath the dentin layer and composes the innermost layer of teeth. Pulp is also what keeps your teeth alive.
This is because the pulp is full of blood vessels and nerves. This stage of pulp damage is when you might start to feel pain as a result of tooth decay. This is because as the pulp decays, the blood vessels in the area will become inflamed and swell up.
5. Abscess Development
This last stage of tooth development can get quite serious as it involves infection. On all accounts, you should stop wondering "should I go to a dental office near me?" and go to the dentist immediately.
As tooth decay eats away at your tooth pulp, bacteria in the area can cause an infection. This can lead to the development of an abscess which is a swollen pocket of pus. Abscesses are very painful and much more painful than cavities, usually affecting the jaw as a whole.
Abscess infections can become very serious, sometimes even fatal if they are not treated. This is because the infection can spread to the lymph nodes and blood.
Tooth Decay Stages
By the end of this article, you now know all about the five main tooth decay stages. You also know about the importance of dental hygiene and of regularly visiting a dentist to keep your teeth healthy.
To learn more,
contact us here.
