What is dental caries?

What is dental caries?

Caries is an infectious disease.

The bacteria that cause tooth decay feed on our food, especially sweetened foods and drinks. They convert sugar and food waste into aggressive acids. Cariogenic bacteria create dental plaque that adheres tightly to the teeth. When this plaque is not carefully removed every day, acids attack tooth enamel.

Caries on proximal surfaces – we encourage you to use dental floss systematically.

Proximal caries visible in the oral cavity

Proximal surface caries detected on spot X-ray of the tooth.

The first signs of tooth decay are white, chalky spots. For the untrained eye, these spots are difficult to recognize. The only sure way is to take an X-ray photo. At this stage of caries development, the tooth enamel surface is still intact. Therefore, at ADENTIS, each patient has a panoramic x-ray taken for accurate and error-free diagnosis.
Initially, caries foci are located in the fissures of the tooth, where the enamel layer is minimal, which allows bacteria to quickly demineralize the enamel and, consequently, tooth decay. Over time, carious lesions move to the proximal surface of the teeth, where food remains permanently present, leading to fermentation of the remains and the development of bacteria. To prevent the growth of bacteria in this area, we recommend using dental floss after each meal (we recommend ORAL-B).

Dr Aleksandra Gabren