When you go for a dental check-up, if the doctor tells you that there is tooth decay (tooth decay), many people will wonder, "Why do I still have tooth decay when I brush my teeth every day, morning and night?" "Do you know that if you want to suffer from tooth decay, you really can't have it right away, you need the right time, place, and people, and you need to gather the "four factors" to summon caries! Caries is a disease in which the hard tissues of the tooth are chronically and progressively destroyed under the influence of a variety of factors, mainly bacteria. The mainstream theory is the four-factor theory, that is, the host, microbe, diet and time work together. Let's talk about the abilities of each of these four factors one by one.
1. Microorganisms.
Some specific bacteria use sugars to produce acids, which react with tooth minerals to demineralize and dissolve the surface, gradually forming black cavities. However, saliva has a strong buffer system that neutralizes the acid and has the effect of brushing the tooth surface, so when there are only bacteria, the acid produced is difficult to demineralize and dissolve the tooth. However, when plaque is present, the bacteria attached to it, using the acid produced by sugar, are protected by plaque, which is not easy to neutralize and rinse off, so that the tooth surface covered by plaque is partially demineralized and dissolved, forming cavities.
2. Food. Frequent consumption of certain types of food exceeds the buffering capacity of saliva, and the tooth surface will still be demineralized, forming rough and dry surfaces and pits, which provides a favorable place for the attachment of dental plaque. For example, people who take long-term iron supplements, vitamin C and drink carbonated drinks are more likely to suffer from tooth decay. By breaking down sugars in the diet, bacteria produce acids that dissolve and demineralize the tooth surfaces under the plaque, gradually forming cavities. The most cariogenic sugar is sucrose, but when sucrose and starch are mixed, it has more cariogenic capacity than sucrose. Because the starch adheres to the sucrose on the tooth surface, it stays longer. The cariogenic ability of various sugars ranges from strong to weak: sucrose, glucose, maltose, lactose, fructose, sorbilose, xylitol. Among them, sorbitate and xylitol are basically non-cariogenic and are often used as sweeteners. The cariogenic ability of sugars is regulated by one major factor, namely the frequency of eating. The higher the frequency, the more likely you are to develop tooth decay.
3. Host. Some people are not susceptible to tooth decay. It is also what we often say that the dentiny of TA is better. So what is good dentice?
1. Good development and no defects. There is no enamel dysplasia, malformed lingual sulcus, leukoplakia, etc.
2. There are few pits and fissures on the tooth surface, and it is not easy to accumulate plaque.
3. The teeth are neat, and there are no parts that are not easy to clean.
In addition to dentin, saliva is also important. Saliva not only buffers acid, but also washes the tooth surface and contains minerals that remineralize the demineralized tooth. Therefore, people with less saliva production are also more likely to suffer from tooth decay. The immune system also plays a role, as caries is a bacterial infection that has an inhibitory effect on bacteria when the amount of antimicrobial proteins in the mouth is high.
Fourth, time. The action of the above three factors takes a certain amount of time to complete, such as the formation of plaque, the process of carbohydrate decomposition, the process of tooth demineralization, and so on. Only after the plaque matures, it continuously decomposes the sugars in the diet and produces enough acid to reach a critical value to dissolve and demineralize the tooth surface, which exceeds the saliva repair capacity, and continues to demineralize, and finally forms a cavity.
How can I prevent tooth decay?
1. Start with plaque control, brush your teeth once in the morning and once in the evening; Floss between your teeth after eating; Rinse your mouth 2 or 3 times a day, some mouthwashes have an anti-plaque effect; Scaling at least once a year;
2. Start with diet, reduce the consumption and frequency of highly cariogenic sugars, and if you must eat them, try to eat them before or after meals; Clean your mouth in time after eating and drinking to reduce sugar retention; Reduce sticky sugary foods; Chew more fibrous foods to play a role in friction and cleaning;
3. Start from the host to enhance resistance. Strengthen nutrition and general health during pregnancy to ensure the normal growth and development of the baby; Pay attention to calcium supplementation in infancy and early childhood to reduce tooth dysplasia; Use fluoride toothpaste to enhance the ability of teeth to resist acid corrosion; Timely pit and fissure sealing to prevent plaque retention; Eat a reasonable diet to reduce irregular dentition;
4. Regular oral examination, seek professional guidance from dental doctors, and build a strong line of defense against caries. It is recommended that children under 8 years old have oral check-ups every 2-3 months, adolescents aged 8-18 years have oral check-ups every six months, and adults over 18 years old have periodontal cleaning every six months to one year. For adolescents and children, there are various anti-caries measures, such as fluoride, pit and fissure sealing, etc.