Over the years, dental fillings can weaken, begin to break down or develop rough edges. Certain medications, some medical conditions, radiation to your head or neck, or certain chemotherapy drugs can increase your risk of cavities by reducing saliva production. Substances found in saliva also help counter the acid produced by bacteria. Dry mouth is caused by a lack of saliva, which helps prevent tooth decay by washing away food and plaque from your teeth.
Older adults also may use more medications that reduce saliva flow, increasing the risk of tooth decay. Over time, teeth can wear down and gums may recede, making teeth more vulnerable to root decay. In the United States, cavities are common in very young children and teenagers. But bottled water usually does not contain fluoride. It's also a common ingredient in toothpaste and mouth rinses. Because of its benefits for teeth, fluoride is added to many public water supplies. Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, helps prevent cavities and can even reverse the earliest stages of tooth damage. If you don't clean your teeth soon after eating and drinking, plaque forms quickly and the first stages of decay can begin. Similar damage can occur when toddlers wander around drinking from a sippy cup filled with these beverages. This damage is often called baby bottle tooth decay. When babies are given bedtime bottles filled with milk, formula, juice or other sugar-containing liquids, these beverages remain on their teeth for hours while they sleep, feeding decay-causing bacteria. And sipping soda or other acidic drinks throughout the day helps create a continual acid bath over your teeth. When you steadily snack or sip sugary drinks, you give mouth bacteria more fuel to produce acids that attack your teeth and wear them down. Foods that cling to your teeth for a long time - such as milk, ice cream, honey, sugar, soda, dried fruit, cake, cookies, hard candy and mints, dry cereal, and chips - are more likely to cause decay than foods that are easily washed away by saliva. As a result, they're harder to keep clean than your smoother, easy-to-reach front teeth. These teeth have lots of grooves, pits and crannies, and multiple roots that can collect food particles. Decay most often occurs in your back teeth (molars and premolars). Discomfort can even extend outside of the tooth root to the bone.Įveryone who has teeth is at risk of getting cavities, but the following factors can increase risk: Because there is no place for the swelling to expand inside of a tooth, the nerve becomes pressed, causing pain. The pulp becomes swollen and irritated from the bacteria. As tooth decay develops, the bacteria and acid continue their march through your teeth, moving next to the inner tooth material (pulp) that contains nerves and blood vessels. Dentin has tiny tubes that directly communicate with the nerve of the tooth causing sensitivity. This layer is softer than enamel and less resistant to acid. Once areas of enamel are worn away, the bacteria and acid can reach the next layer of your teeth, called dentin. This erosion causes tiny openings or holes in the enamel - the first stage of cavities. The acids in plaque remove minerals in your tooth's hard, outer enamel.
Tartar makes plaque more difficult to remove and creates a shield for bacteria. Plaque that stays on your teeth can harden under or above your gum line into tartar (calculus). When sugars and starches aren't cleaned off your teeth, bacteria quickly begin feeding on them and form plaque. It's due to eating a lot of sugars and starches and not cleaning your teeth well. Dental plaque is a clear sticky film that coats your teeth. Cavities are caused by tooth decay - a process that occurs over time.
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