Dental caries

Dental caries

Dental caries is a disease characterized by the progressive destruction of hard tooth tissues.

Pathogenesis. The microflora of dental plaque damages the organic basis of the enamel, which thereby loses its ability to retain the mineral substrate. A carious defect is formed. Resistance to caries is determined by the structure of the enamel, which depends on the conditions of tooth formation and the state of local immunity in the oral cavity.

Symptoms and course. Caries is distinguished by the severity of its course and the depth of the lesion. The patient complains of pain from cold, sour, and sweet foods when they enter a carious cavity. Removing the irritant stops the pain. There are no spontaneous pains. In the initial stage, a stain is visible on the enamel. With superficial caries, the defect is within the enamel, the bottom is rough; with average - for enamel-dentin; with deep - throughout the dentin.

In acute cases, the tissue is gray, softened, the lesion is irregular in shape, and the edges are undermined. Many teeth are affected. In chronic cases, the tissues are dense, colored, the edges are smooth, and individual teeth are affected.

Treatment is removal of affected tissue, formation and restoration of the tooth. It is carried out with burs and requires anesthesia. The defect is filled with a filling. For initial caries, remineralization is sufficient - sodium fluoride or remineralizing agents. In acute cases, diet, vitamins, calcium and phosphorus supplements are prescribed.

Forecast. Without treatment, pulpitis develops. Chronic forms are effectively treated with filling.

Prevention - increasing the stability of teeth, fighting plaque, vitaminization, fluorides. Fluoridation of drinking water and local use of fluoride-containing products are important.