Treatments for tooth decay
Tooth decay, also known as tooth decay or dental caries, is a disease that is more common than asthma and seven times five times more common than hay fever. Tooth decay is one of the most common health problems in the industrialized world, particularly in developing countries. An estimated 90% of people in the United States have at least one cavity. Children and the elderly are two groups of people at high risk. In children, usually occurs when sugary foods like candy are frequently left on the teeth.
In the mouth, there are bacteria that live in plaque (a sticky, whitish film produced by saliva) that convert sugars into acids. These acids erode the protective layer known as tooth enamel. These results over the outer surface of tooth decay destruction. What makes adults also are at risk of being affected by tooth decay is when aging causes gums to move behind the teeth. Combined with gum disease, gum recession exposes the root of dental plaque. This will cause the breakdown of the tooth root.
People who already have a number of dental restorations (fillings and crowns) may also suffer from tooth decay, especially around the edges of the teeth, or margins. Caries, particularly in the anterior teeth, can become an obstacle to achieving a pleasing appearance, which affects their self-esteem.
Cavities may also have an emotional impact on an individual and social welfare, causing pain and discomfort from toothache. In addition, it can also cause some serious health problems such as malnutrition, by interfering with the ability of an individual to eat certain foods. If the decay is not treated early, complications of the infection can cause swelling to poison the face and neck, fever and blood. Prevention is much less expensive and less painful treatment.
Although tooth decay remains one of the most common chronic diseases, many people today are in better oral health than before. The consolidated effort of dental associations and many other health organizations in raising awareness of oral health, government support and cooperation from the public has made this improvement came. Several community-based programs aimed at solving oral health dilemmas are carried out. These include extending fluoridated water and schools having sealant projects for children.
However, these programs cannot reach many remote areas where ethnic minorities are and where many people live in poverty. Their access to dental care and formal education is very limited. This demonstrates the need for a greater number of dental community-based programs to help people care for their teeth. Dental researchers have recently discovered how bacteria which attack teeth, stick enamel. This new information could bring significant benefits to increase public awareness of the elimination of the harmful effects of bacteria that cause cavities.
In addition, they are also in the process of developing vaccines against tooth decay and discovering other new methods to attack and kill bacteria that cause decay. Other treatments, namely, dental implants, Heal Ozone gas explosion (blast that triggers the saliva to fix teeth naturally), and spray genetically modified bacteria that produce acid decomposition, are also being developed, Also considering the use fiber and optical methods necessary to detect fluorescence decay long before X-rays and visual inspections can. These advances in the treatment of caries are evidence of the growing attention to oral hygiene.
However, based primarily on these discoveries does not guarantee the complete disappearance of the problem of the list of the most common problems of global health. Further improvements in the treatment must be expanded dental care education, early interception of poor oral hygiene habits, and greater parental involvement in the dental health of children and appreciate how a confident smile is priceless.