DENTAL CARIES

Dental caries commonly known as tooth decay or cavity is a disease caused by the bacteria where they change the carbohydrate like sugar in the food left on the tooth surface into acid that demineralises the hard tooth structure (enamel and dentin). It is still one of the most common diseases in the world today.

Dental caries will not occur if the oral cavity is free of bacteria. These bacteria are organized into a material known as dental plaque which forms thin yellowish film on the tooth surface. These plaque bacteria covert the sugars and carbohydrates into acids that dissolve the minerals on the tooth surface leading to tooth cavity.

Dental caries is not painful until it reaches the nerve or root of the tooth. The earliest sign of caries is chalky white spots on the tooth surface indicating demineralization of the enamel. As the lesion continues to progress it turns to brown and will eventually form a cavity. Before the cavity forms, the process is reversible but once the cavity is formed, the lost tooth structure cannot be regenerated.

Once the decay passes through enamel and enters dentin, the dentinal tubules have passages to the nerve of the tooth, when it reaches the nerve it causes tooth pain. In highly progressed cases, the infection may spread to the soft tissues surrounding the tooth.

How to reduce the risk of dental caries:

Studies revealed that it is not what one eats but how often carbohydrate is ingested is the significant dietary factor causing dental caries. It is advisable to avoid frequent snacking.

Teeth should be cleaned thoroughly at least twice a day using a fluoride tooth paste. Brushing helps remove the plaque on the tooth surface and flossing helps remove the plaque in between the teeth.

Visit your dentist regularly for routine cleaning and examination.


Treatment for dental caries:

At the early stages, fluoride treatment may help restore your tooth enamel by using fluoridated tooth paste and mouth rinses.

Once the damage becomes permanent, when the decay progresses beyond enamel the decayed part of the tooth is drilled away and is filled with restorative materials.

When the decay reaches the inner part of the tooth (pulp), it reaches the nerve and cause pain. It is treated by doing a root canal. In this procedure, the tooth pulp is removed and replaced with a filling material.

Some teeth are severely damaged that they need to be extracted. In such cases, the extracted tooth leaves a gap that causes the adjacent tooth to shift to the gap. To avoid this, the missing tooth should be replaced with a bridge or an implant.

DARK CHOCOLATES AND TEETH

For all those Chocoholics out there, here is great news coming up for you. It is been believed from ages that chocolates are harmful for teeth and they are the main culprits for tooth cavities. As a dental practitioner even I believe in it and am prone to suggest the patients to keep away this tasty treat. But, recent studies have proven that dark chocolates are actually good for teeth and in fact prevent the tooth decay. Unbelievable, isn’t it? But yes, it is true.

Dark chocolates are the chocolates without milk added to it and these are the only real chocolates. They are bitter in taste and this bitterness increases with the cocoa added to it.

Chocolates are rich in cocoa butter, which coats the teeth making it less likely to cause tooth decay. The main culprit for tooth decay is the fermentable carbohydrates that are sugar and starch. Though chocolate contains these fermentable carbohydrates, the cocoa butter present in chocolates will prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the teeth.

 These carbohydrates are broken down into acid by the action of bacteria and this acid dissolves the tooth surface causing cavity. Chocolates also have anti-bacterial property that can fight effectively against dental plaque. Phenols present in the chocolates inhibit the growth of bacteria which are responsible for plaque formation. 

The other health benefits of these phenols are anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. These phenols act as deoxidizing agents and prevent clogging of arteries thus preventing heart attacks. They reduce the levels of bad cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.

Of course, chocolates do contain sugars and they can contribute to cavity formation in tooth. But, these anti-bacterial agents present in chocolates offset its high sugar levels. Moreover the sugars melt quickly in mouth leaving less time for the bacteria to attack the teeth.

However too much eating of chocolates can cause health problems as the cocoa butter contain saturated fat that can increase the cholesterol levels in blood contributing to heart problems and also obesity.

Chocolate candies which are rich in sugars are definitely harmful to teeth. These sugars are the main culprits that stick to the teeth and later lead to tooth decay. It is always advisable to eat chocolates prior to eating food as later when you have food the stickiness will be washed down. It is always better to eat chocolates at one go  and brushing teeth after eating chocolates will clear off the remnants of chocolate stuck to the teeth. So always avoid eating sticky chocolates.

Lastly, nothing we eat could replace proper brushing and flossing regularly.

SMOKING AND ORAL CANCER

“Smoking Is Injurious to Health”, a very age old caution that we all have been known through years but had always kept a blind eye on it.

It’s a high time to rethink deeply on this once again. The death rate due to smoking has reached to 5 million per year worldwide. It is estimated that 10 million will die every year due to smoke-related diseases by 2020.


We all know the adverse effects of smoking and tobacco chewing yet never took a step to get rid of it. The most dangerous effect is cancer that can attack you in any form as an oral cancer or lung cancer or larynx cancer, bladder cancer and many to mention. Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in our body, also known as malignant cells. Ultimately interfering with the normal functioning of the body and can be fatal. 

Cigarette smoke consists of 4,000 different chemicals that can damage the cells and systems of the human body. Among which there are at least 80 chemicals that can cause cancer and hundreds of poisons like cyanide, ammonia, carbon monoxide that are considered to be fatal. Nicotine which is the major content of cigarette that is extremely hazardous to health.

What exactly does this nicotine do to our body is our prime concern, nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which means it constricts the flow of blood. This deprives the tissues from oxygen and nutrients and making them vulnerable to bacterial infections. This is the major cause that leads to gum diseases, periodontal diseases, heart diseases, etc. The increased risk of periodontal disease caused due to smoking leads to tooth and bone loss due to complete destruction of the supporting tissues. 

Coming back to oral cancer, Tobacco chewing is equally hazardous to health especially our oral health. Chewing of tobacco leaves hazardous juices on the teeth and lips. These develop extensive white patches on the mucosa termed leukoplakia which is a precancerous condition of oral mucosa.

The most infected area in oral cancer is the tongue and the area below the tongue which slowly spreads into cheeks and throat. Other effects of tobacco are discoloration of lips and lip cancer, burning or loss of sensation of tongue, hairy tongue, difficulty in swallowing, tooth decay, bad breath, etc.
( http://www.tobacco-facts.info/oral_cancer.htm)

The study reveals that non-smokers are also put into risk by exposure to others smoking. It is referred to as passive smoking or secondhand smoking. It is estimated that non-smokers exposed to smoke are at risk of lung cancer. 

Well it is a myth that smoking relieves from stress, it is time for the smokers to realize that nicotine is a stimulant and not a relaxant. Studies revealed that smokers undergo high stress levels than non-smokers and also leads to impotency. 

Let us pass good habits and good health to the generations to come. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                          QUIT SMOKING AND SAVE EARTH!!!!