Dentistry, today, has evolved from just treating dental diseases, to include preventive dental treatments that are aimed at maintaining good oral health. Dental decay is the leading cause of loss of teeth, along with poor gum or periodontal health. Preventing and managing dental decay in the early stages is crucial to avoid more complex dental disease.
Dental decay occurs due to plaque bacteria that stick to teeth, and produce acids, which dissolve enamel. In the beginning, this decay is rarely symptomatic. It is only when that the decay reaches the sensitive inner layer of dentine, that it irritates the nerve and produces symptoms. Cavities that are diagnosed early need less of tooth structure removal and can be restored in a minimally invasive manner.
On the other hand, decay, which has progressed to involve the pulp inside the tooth, will mean that the tooth would require more complex dentistry; usually root- canal therapy, capping or removal. Decayed teeth, when retained untreated for long, can produce infection in the gum and bone around the roots. These may cause a dental abscess, infectious swelling, bone loss, cysts, damage to nerves or compromise gum health. Such complications may then need referrals to the oral surgeon or periodontist.
In young children, the milk teeth are important not just for chewing, but also for maintaining space for permanent teeth to erupt in proper alignment. Decayed milk teeth can infect developing permanent teeth-buds, or cause crowding or impactions and other orthodontic problems later.
Regular dental office visits, are the best way to ensure early management of dental decay, and should start right from when a child’s teeth erupt. A white opaque spot or discoloured grooves on a child’s teeth can be early decay. Young children especially benefit from preventive dental treatment like pit and fissure sealants, and minimally invasive fillings performed by a pedodontist.
Dentists now can use advanced tools like special caries-detector dyes to detect decay and high resolution digital X-rays images at its earliest, so consult our Care and Cure dental clinic, dombivli for early and efficient management of dental decay.
