Posts Tagged ‘Dental Caries’

Dental caries

What is tooth decay?
The teeth are coated with a special glaze that protects them from any external aggression. When this layer is disappearing gradually softening its leaves to protect them and allow germs in the mouth that can attack them.

The main culprit of tooth decay is a bacterium called Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans or). This bacterium is transmitted in the saliva of the mother or caregiver to the child during its first 30 months of age and reside in the dentition, so that at least the child should have a tooth for effective transmission to occur. The bacteria feed on sucrose and produces acid as a byproduct, thereby degrading the tooth enamel.

In 1996, scientists at the University of Helsinki found that children without caries, had very low levels of this bacterium.In contrast, children with caries had extremely high concentrations, as 100 times higher.

The cavities in the teeth appear as white spots, deposits of plaque or tartar brown, and can lead to small fractures or cavities.The destruction of the tooth extends spreading the permanent tooth that is still hidden.Once started, it’s about time to spread and attack the entire dentition.

Incidence
It is believed that tooth decay is the most common infectious disease in American children (5 to 8 times more than asthma), with 8.4% of affected children under two years and 40.4% at 5 years. Of these, 47% of children between two and nine years never treated.The cavities in baby teeth is one of the main reasons for hospitalization in children and has a high health costs.

What are its causes?
Several factors can cause tooth decay.The main cause is a diet rich in sugars that help the bacteria eating away the enamel, although depending on the type of sugar, its incidence varies.Other causes include poor dental hygiene, the absence of fluoride in the water and their own genetics, as has been shown to cause tooth decay in some children sensitive despite following prophylactic correct habits.

While the bacteria S.mutans is mainly responsible for caries, found other factors that also show an unexpected correlation with this problem: complications during pregnancy or delivery, premature birth or cesarean delivery, maternal diabetes, renal disease, Rh incompatibility, allergies, frequent gastroenteritis and chronic diarrhea. A diet high in salt and low in iron and pacifier use also seem to favor the development of caries.

Before the first tooth, about half of all children 6 months and are infected with Streptococcus mutans.According to research, at 24 months 84% ??of children had developed a considerable colony. Factors associated with these cases were the intake of sweetened drinks at bedtime, taking too many sweets, snacks between meals, sharing food with adults and a very high presence of these bacteria in the mother. By contrast, the lack of bacteria was associated primarily with regular brushing teeth.

Bottle tooth decay
Once teeth begin to erupt, one of the most common causes of its appearance is called baby bottle tooth decay, caused by frequent contact with milk or juice, especially if you leave the baby with a bottle to bed, using it as a pacifier. If the baby needs a bottle to use as a pacifier, it is imperative that only contains water. Never wet with honey or sugar.

The diagnosis of dental caries could be done by Internet

Could make the diagnosis of dental caries through digital photography and the Internet? We have not reached that point, but experts say the use of affordable technology could help monitor certain common conditions. Tooth decay in early childhood (ECC) English acronym, is a common disease that affects children living in urban areas and that researchers are developing ways to diagnose using specially equipped digital cameras. Tooth decay in early childhood, also known as baby bottle tooth decay is caused by prolonged exposure to sugary drinks and sleep with a bottle, which can be overlooked by parents until the child experiences severe pain and teeth were decayed beyond repair.

Often the only treatment available in this situation the child is sedation and extraction of teeth.Investigators say an assistant to a center of health care of infants could take photographs of the children’s teeth and send them electronically to a dentist would review the files and diagnose those with early childhood caries. Medical Center researchers at the University of Rochester in New York created a system for diagnosis via digital photos and found that nearly 40 percent of 162 children suffered from dental caries in early childhood. Most were about two carious lesions, but one had about 20 bad teeth. This technology can also reduce costs associated with early childhood caries.

Only in Rochester, the treatment for early childhood caries is estimated at one million dollars a year paid almost exclusively by Medicaid (medical assistance program). “We have identified a very simple and cost effective method to monitor this common childhood disease before it becomes a much bigger problem,” said Dr. Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, assistant professor of dentistry at the University Medical Center of Rochester and author of the study. “Addressing early childhood caries in its early stages, the patient will avoid dental pain, the anguish of the father, decrease the use of the services of emergency room visits and increase the population of the untreated to the dentist.”

Preventing dental caries with fluoride Soon

Never underestimate the use of toothpaste on the child. The reason, researchers in the UK revealed the use of regular toothpaste does not prevent damage to teeth and gums child. The researchers suggested that instead of a small provided the basic ingredients of toothpaste Floride.

The investigation was initiated by the Cochrane Oral Health Group and the University of Manchester, also revealed in the use of fluoride toothpaste can reduce damage to teeth and gums by 24%. Furthermore, the use of fluoride toothpaste in children before the age of 12 years hence, allows flurosis teeth. This conclusion is based on the findings of 79 trials involving 73 000 children worldwide.

Dr. Anne-Marie Glenny, one of the researchers explain very important for parents to know balance in relation to the fact that each company has different fluoride content in each product. “From the standpoint of public health, the risk of decay and will certainly effects like pain and tooth extraction fluorosis substantial than” he was quoted by Dailymail.co.uk last week.

Anne-Marie also said that children tend to use too much toothpaste on the long term result in dots of color instead of bright white teeth. “In this case, how to brush their teeth properly and duly accompanied by a parent with a little toothpaste berflouride a much more useful,” he said.

Treatment of Caries

The procedure used to treat decay depends on the extent of tissue destroyed, but always try to avoid removing the affected part Basically, the technique is to clean the cavity, remove the devitalized tissue and fill the hole with a resilient material.

1 .- After having applied a topical anesthetic on the gum, local anesthetic is administered by injection for the treatment to be painless.

2 .- The dentist must then clean and disinfect the cavity, filing with the volume of damaged tissue and finally to the healthy tooth.

3 .- then made the filling the cavity with a filling, if the crown is very destroyed, artificial sheath is applied.

Did you know that means?
* Sarro Dental hard calcareous concretion, yellow or brown forms and plaque deposits on and adheres strongly to tooth enamel. To remove the tartar, the dentist should undertake a thorough cleaning (tartrectomía).

* Periodontal disease or periodontitis: chronic inflammatory disorder of the tissues around the teeth and are set in the jawbone.

* Gingivitis: Acute or chronic inflammation of the gums.

* Endodontics: therapeutic action necessary when dental decay reaches the pulp and cause infection, popularly referred to as “kill the nerve. First, anesthesia and the crown is drilled to remove the infected pulp is widened root canals and remove the nerve. Once the ducts cleaned and sterilized, the cavity is filled.

* Pulpectomy: Removal of part of the inflamed dental pulp, followed by a filling.

Dental Caries

dental caries

Dental caries is a disease much more expansive than it should, it affects children and adults and causes more embarrassing is the action of sugars. Good hygiene after each meal and food intake are low in sugars are the best allies to prevent this inconvenience, which may lead to the loss of a tooth.

Tooth decay causes the loss or disintegration of the flesh or bone of the teeth, as a result of the action of acid producing bacteria to break down sugars in the diet. We must also bear in mind that foods rich in starch, can cause tooth decay.

When sitting at the table we prefer calcium-rich foods (whole or skim milk), yogurt, cheese, fish with bones (sardines or salmon), watercress, broccoli, almonds, calcium-rich mineral waters and soybeans. We must also include foods rich in vitamin D, which enhance calcium absorption, among them we find the fish, like sardines, herring, tuna, salmon, mackerel and trout.

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A dry mouth increases the risk for tooth decay

A dry mouth increases the risk for tooth decay

People with reduced salivary secretion, which are characterized by the “dry mouth” are more likely to have dental caries compared to those with higher salivary flow, as clinical specialists warned Vital Dent.

Saliva plays a natural defensive role against caries, and that dilutes and removes sugars and constant pH of the mouth, they said.

“Thanks to its alkaline pH and its buffering capacity, drag the food scraps left in the mouth, neutralizes acids produced by bacterial plaque on the teeth and provides calcium and phosphate needed in a process called remineralization,” said the dentist Vital Dent Clinics, Olga Prieto. Read the rest of this entry »