Dental caries is the demineralization and erosion of the hard tissue of the teeth, which creates a gap in a tooth.

Pigmented yellow-brown spots on the enamel of the teeth, bad breath, pain when eating sweet, salty, bitter, cold, or hot products.

As a result of deepening of caries may develop cysts, pulpitis, and later peridontitis. Failure to treat caries in a timely manner can lead to tooth loss. Caries can also lead to acute or chronic illness.

Dental caries is the destruction of the hard enamel layer of the tooth, the integrity of the bone layer under the influence of ditrophic or infectious factors.

Causes of caries

The disease is one of the most common pathologies among the population. According to WHO statistics, caries occurs in 80% to 98% of people in different countries and between different races. Over the past two years, the disease has become more prevalent among children, with varying degrees of caries, especially in economically underdeveloped countries.

Dental caries is not an independent disease, it is caused by general changes in the body. For example, decreased local and general immunity, changes in the gastrointestinal tract play an important role in the formation of caries.

When personal hygiene is not followed, tooth enamel can form a coating that can lead to caries.

Bacteria that live on dental plaque produce lactic acid, which causes demineralization of tooth enamel. Enamel demineralization is the first stage of caries onset. By streptococci, sucrose is converted to a polysaccharide called dextran, while dextran accelerates the decay of tooth enamel. This is why people who eat a lot of sweets develop caries faster.

Pollution of industrial areas, areas with poor environmental conditions, and drinking water can lead to a decrease in the overall protective function of the human body. The incidence of caries is also high in people living in such conditions.

Clinical signs of dental caries

There are 4 different forms of caries depending on the depth of damage to the hard part of the tooth.

• At the first stage of caries, the color of the enamel layer becomes dull. There is no decay in the hard layer of the tooth. At this stage, no changes are observed in the solid layer. In some cases, the stain may disappear on its own, the cause of which has not been fully investigated.
• Caries on the surface – a dark spot on the enamel layer, which can be detected by instrumental examination. Sometimes at this stage, it is possible to see that the process of decay has begun in all areas of the enamel layer. However, these changes are observed only in the enamel layer.
• Moderate caries is damage to tooth enamel and dentin.
• Deep caries is damage to all the tissues of the tooth, a complete violation of the integrity of the tooth.

Patients often complain of pain in the areas of dental caries, exacerbated by contact with sweet, bitter, hot, or cold products. If the causative agent is stopped, the pain will not be felt. Normally, dental caries does not cause pain.

In the acute course of caries, several teeth are damaged, their outer layer is covered with a dark gray coating, the teeth become soft, and the pain syndrome is severe. Such symptoms appear on more than one tooth.

Chronic caries is characterized by pigmentation, thickening of the affected areas, and changes in the boundaries of the teeth. The process progresses slowly, and untreated disease is complicated by pulpitis and periodontitis, which can lead to complete tooth loss or complete removal.