What Causes Tooth Decay?
- Improper oral hygiene: Those individuals who do not brush their teeth and also do not clean their tongue on a regular basis then the individual may experience decaying of tooth. This can also happen when one is not flossing or using mouthwash.An individual should ensure to brush their teeth at least twice in a day, once they wake up in the morning and before going to sleep in the night. It is also a good practice to brush teeth if possible after every meal. Decay of tooth due to poor oral hygiene is something which can be avoided by following regular brushing and flossing habit.
- Issues related to enamel or deep tooth cavities: Cavities and enamel issues can provide a good environment for bacteria to grow which in turn can lead to decay of tooth. Those individuals who have enamel issues and deep crevices present in their teeth are very much likely to also suffer from tooth decay issues. This happens because the deep crevices lead to the bacteria as well as plaque to grow easily. Use of dental sealants can be used for preventing decay of tooth in patients.
- Poor nutrition: Consuming food items which are rich in sugar, carbohydrates and also high has concentration of acid are likely triggers for tooth decay.Ensure to always have a healthy and nutritious diet and avoid any sugary as well as acidic drinks.
- Sugar loaded food: Sugary kind of drinks as well as food items also offer a perfect breeding ground for bacteria to grow and multiply in the mouth which in turn can lead to decay of tooth. The bacteria which is present in the mouth tend to feed on these sugary items and then they coat the teeth with the damaging acid. It is all known to happen in a matter of seconds and this occurs several times over the course of a meal.
- Acidic food items and drinks: Those individuals who indulge in high amount of acidic food as well as drinks, the acid which is present in these items can cause the enamel to get damaged thereby causing tooth decay. Acidic food need not always mean soda, it can also be fish or bread.
- Dryness in the mouth: Presence of saliva is known to prevent the occurrence of plaque hence those individuals who suffer from dryness in the mouth are very much likely to experience tooth related issues such as decaying of tooth. Dryness in the mouth can be caused due prescription medicines, at times it can be genetic also or may be due to a medical condition known as diabetics.
- Grinding of tooth: Grinding of the tooth when someone is in stress or during sleep time can lead to dental problems causing tooth decay.This happens due to the fact that it tends to strip away from the outer layer of the tooth enamel. This tooth grinding is very much preventable by using a bite guard or night guard.
- Genetics: There are certain individuals who are known to inherit deep rooted cavities as well as any kind of enamel issues from their parents either mother or father.
- Age: As an individual grows older there are a lot of issues which arises in different parts of the body. Hence aging is impacted from a lot of factor such as dryness in the mouth, lack of proper oral hygiene, use of medications and recession of the gums. All of these can also lead to tooth decay.
- Avoiding visits to the dentist: It is important to visit the dentist at least once in every six months but those individuals who avoid visiting the dentist are not doing anything good for their oral health. In fact, it can lead to ways of triggering tooth decay in the future.
