I love that my family dentist is tech-savvy. It's so easy to book a dentist on his smartphone app if I have a tooth problem or if anyone in my family needs emergency problems (I can choose either my normal dentist or another dentist in his practise depending on availability). He also has some great cameras so that we can see exactly what is going on during treatment. I prefer not to see this, but my kids love to be able to see the dentist using his specialised tools to clean and repair their teeth. This blog has some tips on finding a tech-savvy dentist to help give your family the best possible dental care.
Tooth decay is like a virus. At first, it is very easy to underestimate because at first glance it doesn't appear to be anything serious. But under the surface, hidden from your eyes, it is progressing, worsening without your knowledge, until one day you realize you were wrong. By then, the damage has already been done.
The worst mistake you can make with tooth decay is to take it at face value. In other words, just because a tooth has what appears to be a tiny cavity or area of discolouration, you shouldn't assume the damage is minimal. The worst damage often occurs below the surface.
Your Enamel is a Hard Nut to Crack
As long as a tooth is protected by its armour—the outer covering of enamel, which is harder than bone—it is safe from tooth decay. However, all bacteria need to start a cavity is an area of enamel that sees less of the toothbrush than the other areas. This could be an area between teeth, or even the teeth of someone who seldom brushes their teeth at all.
Those bacteria cling to the enamel surface, safe inside the sticky bio-film referred to as plaque. When you eat, the bacteria also eat, breaking down the simple sugars contained in your food. During the metabolism of those sugars, those bacterial organisms produce acid. This acid, along with the acids contained in the foods you eat, such as soda, will chip away at your enamel.
A Tiny Cavity Invites Massive Decay
Once an area of enamel is sufficiently demineralised, the same process that broke through your enamel will now occur inside the tooth—at an accelerated rate. The dentin layer beneath enamel is nowhere near as strong as enamel since it is porous and spongy. Tooth decay at this level then, will occur much more rapidly than it did on the surface.
A slight mark on the outer surface of a tooth could actually be a sign that the enamel layer has been breached. Thus, even a tiny pinprick of a cavity may be a sign that the inside of the tooth is decaying rapidly. If not treated, the tooth will soon become sensitive as the decay nears the nerve. Later, the pain will begin as the nerve chamber is penetrated. The tooth will then die.
To save the tooth, an endodontist will need to carry out a root canal to remove the infected nerve. The tooth will then be filled or crowned. However, this can all be avoided if you alert your dentist at even the slightest hint of discolouration on a tooth, because you never know what may lie beneath.
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