According to studies, the most common dental disease is tooth decay. There is not a single person who would not encounter this problem throughout his life. Scientists are constantly working on a formula for treating caries. However, there is still no such tool that would save humanity from the disease. We can only monitor the condition of the oral cavity to detect the disease in the early stages. To do this, we need to know what are the signs of caries.
Not everyone knows it, but it is.
The main reason for the high prevalence of carious disease is the inability of people to distinguish between signs of an incipient lesion. It is not clear why many patients find them easy to identify. After all, in fact, the disease at an early stage is characterized by absolute painlessness. Only the first-class specialist will be able to notice the first signs of caries. To do this, regularly undergo preventive examinations. Well, for us it will be enough just to get acquainted with the symptoms. Further, the article will focus on the classic signs of the onset of the disease and its course.
Enamel changes color
The first symptom is called enamel changes. It changes color, chalky spots, darkening zones may appear. All these manifestations are due to decalcification. At this stage, only the doctor can determine the onset of the disease. And then the treatment is not a big deal for a specialist. The dentist restores the protective layer of enamel. To do this, apply a procedure such as fluorination of a damaged unit.
When the darkening of the tooth is visualized - this is due to damage to the exposed dentin. In such cases, it is rarely possible to correct a situation using only fluoridation.
Cavity formation
The appearance of cavities inside tooth tissues is called cavitation by specialists. At this stage, the patient himself can already feel that the health of the oral cavity is shaken. The formation of cavitation is characterized by aching pain. You can cope with such unpleasant symptoms if you use soda or saline rinse. The pain should subside. But for a long time you cannot “heal” yourself. It is urgent to go to the dentist's appointment. Otherwise, the disease can progress rapidly. Then the lesions will affect the deeper layers of the tooth tissue. It will be more difficult to treat such caries.
At a certain moment, the formed cavities can be felt with the tip of the tongue. Depending on the form of the course of the ailment, cavitation is light and dark.
Signs of caries in the form of black cavities indicate that the disease has passed into a chronic stage. And light cavitation is caused by the acute course of the disease.
Symptoms of Acute Caries
When probing, the dentist discovers dentin softening. This factor indicates that the disease is in an acute stage. The ailment in the form in question has already completely destroyed the enamel and progresses to neighboring tissues. Dentin suffers. The specialist during the study can detect in certain areas of the affected unit of roughness. In the patient, the sounding itself causes sharp pain.
Signs of caries occurring in acute form - the rapid destruction of hard tissues. The process is accompanied by softening of the edges of the carious cavities. Due to the loss of support, the enamel quickly crackes and crumbles. With a chronic course of the disease, the edges of the carious cavity are smooth, rounded. And the disease in the acute stage is characterized by chips.
Signs of deep caries
At the initial stage of the disease, symptoms such as acute sensitivity to temperature changes (to hot, cold), sweets are absent. These phenomena indicate that the infection has spread deep into the tooth. Their manifestation indicates that the size of the carious lesion is already reaching a value sufficient for fluids to enter through the dentin. Violations in hydrostatics - a kind of signal to the nerves of the pulp. In the end, the brain perceives these impulses as pain.
Pain during eating
This is another sign of disease progression. Why is there pain during eating? This happens because pressure is applied to the bottom of the cavity. By this time it has already been thinned. The pain usually subsides immediately after the person ceases to exert pressure on the bottom, that is, after the end of the meal.
Smell from the mouth
At a certain stage of the disease, people note the fact that breathing loses its freshness. Such signs of tooth decay indicate that food debris accumulates in the cavity. If during the hygiene procedure they cannot be removed, then they undergo decomposition processes. As a result, an unpleasant smell of decay appears. It is worth noting that the symptoms in question can indicate not only the development of caries. They accompany a number of other diseases. For example, this may indicate that a person has tonsillitis or a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
Strong pain
Signs of caries are piercing and tugging pain that occurs without external stimuli. Such symptoms indicate that the pathological process has reached the pulp. It is in it that the blood vessels and nerve endings are concentrated. This form of the disease is called pulpitis. Its feature is intolerable paroxysmal pain. Even the slightest touch on the tooth enhances them.
Experts urge to seek medical help in a timely manner. Do not waste time. Often caries progresses rapidly. With pulpitis, sometimes a tooth cannot be cured, and it must be removed.
Signs of decay of deciduous teeth
It is regrettable, but recently the disease affects children who have not yet reached the age of two. What are the symptoms of the disease? What should parents pay attention to?
The signs of caries in young children are the same as the symptoms of permanent tooth disease. It all starts with the appearance of white spots, grooves and ends with a deep lesion of the pulp. Nevertheless, the disease of primary teeth has its own characteristics.
Most often, in young children, caries occurs in an acute form. The disease is rapidly progressing. At the same time, almost all the teeth that were in the oral cavity at that time were affected. It often happens that on one unit there are several foci from different sides. The situation is aggravated by the fact that oral hygiene in too young children is difficult.
Doctors explain the presence of early caries by the fact that milk teeth are formed in the prenatal period of development. This happens in the first three months. And if at this moment the expectant mother suffered an infectious disease, took antibiotics or experienced any kind of stress, this can affect the health of the baby’s teeth. Of course, we must not forget about the correct diet of the pregnant woman and taking the necessary vitamins.
Due to the fact that it is impossible to treat caries by a usual method until a certain age, dentists carry out procedures that inhibit the development of the disease. Affected teeth undergo hydromineralization, silvering, and fluorination. This allows you to stop the spread of infection and the destruction of affected units.