Dental caries: causes, stages, symptoms

Noticing a dark spot on a tooth or feeling pain when eating something sweet, a patient starts to wonder whether it's already caries and how serious it is. Indeed, dental caries is the most common dental disease, which is easy to treat at early stages but leads to serious complications if treatment is delayed.

What causes caries? Bacteria in the oral cavity secrete acids that destroy tooth enamel. That's why daily hygiene is effective prevention against this disease. It's important to thoroughly clean teeth of plaque and food debris. Caries occurs due to poor hygiene, consumption of sweets, and a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body.

Dental caries — what it is and how it forms

Caries is a pathology in which the hard tissues of the tooth are destroyed under the action of acids produced by bacteria. Specific microbes in the mouth convert sugar into an acid that's destructive to hard tooth tissues. This mechanism triggers the process of enamel demineralization.

How caries forms:

• plaque settles on the surface of the teeth, and bacteria multiply in it;
• sugary food nourishes the harmful microorganisms;
• bacteria secrete acid;
• if the plaque isn't cleaned in time, enamel destruction occurs.

At first, a spot appears on the surface of the teeth, then the enamel thins, losing its smoothness. Acid penetrates the dentin, causing tooth sensitivity. Deep caries reaches the nerve, resulting in severe pain.

Where does caries come from — the role of bacteria and diet

If you think about where caries comes from, a dentist will remind you about proper nutrition and mandatory daily hygiene. A large amount of sugar and carbohydrates feeds harmful bacteria, which produce a destructive acidic environment in the oral cavity. A balanced diet and proper hygiene reduce the risk of developing caries.

What causes caries — internal and external risk factors

Let's look at what causes caries. There can be internal and external causes. Internal causes of caries include:

• genetic predisposition;
• bite and tooth anatomy;
• the quantity and quality of saliva, which is a natural acid rinse;
• the patient's overall health and immune status.

External factors include inadequate hygiene, an unbalanced diet with excess sugar, frequent eating, and mechanical enamel damage from injuries and chips.

Causes of caries — why some people get sick more often than others

The predisposition to developing caries varies among people. Genetic factors play a significant role. What factors increase the risk of developing caries:

• poor hygiene;
• saliva composition;
• genetics;
• dietary habits;
• braces and dentures;
• dry mouth.

It's important to know that the occurrence of caries can almost always be prevented. Don't skip your evening tooth brushing and don't neglect dental floss. Give up frequent snacking on sweets, dried fruits, and cookies, and don't drink sweet carbonated beverages.

What caries depends on — the role of hygiene and diet

Caries occurs due to the activity of bacteria in the oral cavity, which convert sugar into an acid that's destructive to tooth enamel. The role of hygiene and diet in disease prevention is crucial. It's necessary to regularly clean plaque from teeth at least twice a day for 2 minutes. Use floss or an interdental brush. Change your toothbrush once every 3 months.

You should exclude excess sugar and sweets from your diet, as well as sticky foods — candy and dried fruits. Add fermented dairy foods, greens and vegetables, cheese, and fish to your menu. They're rich in calcium and phosphorus, which are beneficial for enamel. Raw fruits and vegetables stimulate saliva production, which washes harmful microflora off the teeth.

Causes of caries in adults and children — is there a difference

The causes of caries in children and adults are the same — bacteria that secrete acid. But the difference is that children's teeth have much thinner enamel, so it breaks down faster. Children don't yet know how to brush their teeth properly, eat more sweets, and the soft enamel of baby teeth is almost unprotected from the effects of acid.

In adults, hard tissues thin with age, and secondary caries can appear under old fillings. Adult patients have concurrent dental diseases (periodontitis, periodontal disease, etc.), which trigger rapid enamel destruction.

Stages of caries — from spot to destruction

Caries progresses in stages. First, the enamel demineralizes and begins to gradually break down. What clinical signs of initial caries can be observed, and what stages of caries are classified:

• initial caries at the spot stage;
• superficial;
• moderate;
• deep.

Different symptoms are characteristic of each stage. The initial stage is painless, with a change in enamel color where a spot forms. In superficial caries, the dentin isn't yet damaged, but the enamel becomes rough. At the moderate stage, a carious cavity forms, and deep caries affects not only the upper layer of dentin but also the area near the pulp. Early diagnosis determines the complexity of treatment.

Initial stage of caries — what clinical signs of initial caries look like

The initial stage of caries has the following signs:

• white or matte spots on the enamel, appearing as a result of mineral loss;
• a rough tooth surface to the touch;
• no holes on the tooth surface.

At the initial stage, teeth aren't sensitive to sweets or temperature changes and don't yet hurt. It's important to detect and treat caries at the spot stage in time, with minimal trauma to the tooth.

Caries at the spot stage — what it looks like and why it's hard to notice on your own

At the spot stage, the enamel isn't yet destroyed but has already lost minerals. It's simply impossible to notice this on your own, since there's no hole in the tooth. The spot may appear on the inner side of the teeth or in the interdental space. It can also be masked by plaque or hidden on the lateral surfaces or fissures of the teeth.

The initial pathology doesn't disrupt the integrity of the tooth tissues, and the absence of pain and sensitivity also prevents timely detection of caries. At a dental clinic, doctors use effective methods to detect caries at early stages — special staining markers, laser fluorescence, and X-ray imaging.

Symptoms of caries — how to recognize it at different stages

Depending on the stage, the symptoms of caries differ. At the beginning, the absence of pain and visual changes doesn't allow the pathology to be recognized independently. With deep damage, acute pain occurs, and a deep carious cavity forms on the enamel.

It's worth knowing what carious damage looks like at the initial stage in order to detect the disease in time and start treatment to preserve the teeth. Signs that should raise concern:

• the appearance of a white, matte, or dark spot on the enamel;
• roughness developing at the site of the spot;
• a brief reaction of the teeth to sweet, hot, cold, or sour foods;
• noticeable pain when touching the tooth or when food gets into it.

A deep cavity and severe, prolonged pain indicate deep caries, which can progress into pulpitis. You need to see a dentist as soon as possible so as not to complicate treatment.

What caries looks like on teeth — visual signs

It's necessary to know what caries looks like on teeth in order to prevent enamel destruction and complex treatment. If spots and roughness appear on the tooth surface, you should immediately book a consultation with a doctor. A dentist will detect the pathology even at the initial stage using innovative technologies.

Visual signs of caries — spots on the tooth surface, any indentations and grooves on the enamel, darkening in the fissures. A hole (carious cavity) directly indicates the destruction of hard tissues. At this stage, treatment needs to start to prevent progression to the deep stage.

When caries hurts — and why the absence of pain doesn't mean the absence of a problem

Pain from caries appears once the dentin starts breaking down. When the pathological process occurs at a significant depth, the tooth becomes sensitive and reacts to hot, cold, sweet foods, as well as to biting and mechanical impact. The absence of pain at the initial and moderate stages doesn't mean the problem is solved. The destruction simply hasn't yet reached the area near the pulp (the tooth nerve).

Conclusions — dental caries is easier to prevent than to treat

Caries develops gradually and gives practically no symptoms at early stages. That's why regular preventive check-ups are the only reliable way to detect the pathology in time. DDC Clinic provides diagnosis and treatment of caries at all stages. Book a preventive check-up at DDC Clinic now and preserve the health of your teeth and the attractiveness of your smile for a long time.

FAQ:

Dental caries — can it go away on its own without treatment?

Dental caries won't go away without treatment. Seeing a dentist in time makes it possible to stop tooth destruction.

Initial stage of caries — is it noticeable during a dentist's check-up?

Yes, a dentist will notice caries at the initial stage during a check-up.

What causes caries — is there a hereditary factor?

Heredity plays an important role in the development of caries. If close relatives had a predisposition to this condition, it's worth having regular dental check-ups.

Symptoms of caries — how to tell caries apart from increased tooth sensitivity?

Increased tooth sensitivity causes sharp but brief pain. With caries, pain is a result of enamel destruction.

Stages of caries — at which stage is it still possible to avoid drilling?

At the spot stage, the condition can be treated through remineralization, without drilling.

What does caries look like at the spot stage — can it be seen at home?

Caries at the spot stage isn't always visible at home. If the spot is located on the lateral surfaces or in the fissures, it will be hard to notice.