TEETH DISEASES Dental caries is one of the most well known dental diseases, which damages the teeth structure. Dental caries is also known as tooth cavities and tooth decay. If the dental caries is untreated, it may cause tooth pain, tooth decay, and tooth loss. When you eat, pieces of food remain between your teeth, and around your gums. These pieces of food mix with your saliva and bacteria forming plaque, which is a sticky substance attaching to your teeth. The dental caries is caused by the acids produced by bacteria digesting sugars in the plaque. The acids produced by the bacteria dissolve the enamel of the teeth causing tooth decay. Dental caries is usually discovered during regular dental checkups. In the early stage of caries there might not be any pain, but the tooth surface is usually softened. The damaged part of the tooth cannot be regenerated. The caries is treated by removing the damaged part of the tooth, by drilling and then filling the hole with restorative materials like gold, dental amalgam or composite resin. If caries is treated in its early stages, there will be less pain and the treatment won’t be expensive usually. As with most dental problems, caries can be avoided by maintaining good oral hygiene, brushing and flossing your teeth regularly. Dental Plaque is a soft transparent film that builds up on your teeth. The dental plaque is caused by bacteria that live in the mouth. If your diet includes a lot of raw and fibrous foods then a good deal of the dental plaque will be removed by just consuming these foods. However the modern man diet usually includes heavily processed foods, which are easy to chew and won’t remove the dental plaque. In order to remove the dental plaque you need to brush and floss your teeth regularly. If the dental plaque is not removed regularly, it builds up to a thicker layer called tartar. When this happens the bacteria closer to the teeth start anaerobic respiration, which produces acids that eventually damage the tooth surface resulting in dental caries. If you want to have healthy teeth, then it’s very important to remove the dental plaque daily. Gum Disease is one of the most common dental problems. Gum disease can start practically at any age. The gum disease can be easily prevented in most cases by practicing good oral hygiene. The gum disease usually develops very slowly without any pain in the beginning. The teeth are held in place by the gums and the bones. The gum disease is caused by the dental plaque, which is a thin colorless sticky film, which contains bacteria and attaches to the teeth. The plaque also builds up at the line where your gums attach to your teeth. If you do not remove the dental plaque daily by brushing and flossing, the plaque builds up and hardens into tartar. The tartar is firmly attached to the teeth and cannot be removed by brushing and flossing. The tartar may cause inflammation of the gum tissue at the point where the gums attach to the teeth. This first stage of the gum disease is called gingivitis and may be characterized with irritated, swollen gums or easily bleeding gums. If the gingivitis is left untreated, it slowly damages the gums and the point where it attaches to the teeth, and it may progress over time into periodontitis. The periodontitis is loss of bone around the teeth, which usually leads to loosening of the teeth, and it may cause tooth loss eventually if not treated. Gum disease can be prevented by practicing good oral hygiene, by both brushing and flossing regularly. If you suspect that you have gum disease, you should see a dentist right away. A dentist can determine if you have gum disease and may perform cleaning of the teeth and gums if needed. After cleaning you should regularly remove dental plague to avoid tartar build ups, which can cause gum disease. Stained teeth are common dental condition, which may be caused by many different factors. As people age their teeth become darker in general, because their teeth mineral structure changes, which is a normal process. One of the major causes for stained teeth is the foods and drinks people consume. There are several foods and drinks that can stain your teeth and these include chocolate, soy sauce, curry, soda, red wine, tobacco, coffee and tea, and blueberries. Some people, who have been using the antibiotic tetracycline as kids, have stained teeth as well. You can do several things to avoid staining your teeth. The first and most important is to maintain a good oral hygiene, brushing and flossing regularly. You can also avoid smoking, and drinking beverages that like red wine, coffee and tea, to prevent teeth staining. If you eat foods or drink beverages that easily stain teeth, clean up your teeth immediately after eating or drinking them. If you are unsure what has caused your teeth stains, then visit your dentist, to determine the cause. Depending on the cause the dentist may suggest teeth whitening procedure to remove the stains and whiten your teeth. Teeth grinding also known as Bruxism is a dental condition characterized by unconscious grinding and clenching of the teeth. The teeth grinding usually occurs at night during sleep, but a small percentage of people does it while they are awake. Of course most people do not know that they grind their teeth during sleep. One of the causes of teeth grinding is improper tooth alignment (may be natural or caused by improper fillings). Another common tooth grinding cause is stress. Some people grind their teeth in their sleep when they are under pressure at work or at home. The teeth grinding dental disorder may occur at any age, but is most common between 30 to 40 year old people. The most obvious teeth grinding symptom is load grounding sounds during one’s sleep, usually noticed by the partner of the person having the problem. Other teeth grinding symptoms are stiffness in the jaw and/or teeth aching during the morning hours, and damaged tooth enamel. Teeth grinding can cause many dental problems including but not limited to damaging teeth enamel, breaking teeth, and jaw muscle problems. If you grind your teeth it’s advisable to see a dentist right away. Bad Breath also known as Halitosis, is a common dental condition caused in most cases by the degradation of proteins by bacteria in the mouth. Having a bad breath can negatively affect your quality of life that’s why is important to understand what causes bad breath, and how to prevent bad breath. When you eat, small pieces of food get stuck between your teeth, on your tongue and around your gums. If you don’t clean up your teeth regularly (both brushing and flossing required) the food that has remained in your mouth begins to disintegrate producing unpleasant odor. Consuming certain foods, like garlic, some cheeses and various exotic foods, can cause bad breath as well. However, in this case the bad breath is not caused by rotting food, but by the food itself. Decreased saliva flow, a condition known as Dry Mouth, can also cause bad breath, because the saliva is instrumental in removing the food particles remaining in your mouth after eating. Smoking and drinking alcohol also contribute to bad breath. Another possible cause for bad breath might be caused by a health problem not related to the mouth. Examples of health problems that might contribute to bad breath are respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, sinusitis, diabetes, and kidney or liver problems. Keep in mind that most of the bad breath cases are directly related to the mouth. If you suspect that other general disease might be causing bad breath, it’s a good idea to visit a dentist, who can determine if the problem is related to your mouth health or cause by something else. You can do several things to prevent or at least minimize bad breath. Oral hygiene is paramount including brushing your teeth twice a day, regular flossing to make sure there is no food left between your teeth, and tongue cleaning. To avoid bad breath avoid smoking, alcohol, and foods and beverages that cause bad breath. Finally don’t skip your regular dental visits for check-up and teeth cleaning. Canker Sores are open sores in the mouth, which are very shallow. Canker sores are very painful and they may cause lots of discomfort when eating, drinking or talking. The canker sores are usually red in color having thin white coating in some cases. Common places where canker sores appear are the inside of the cheeks and the lips, and under the tongue. Canker sores are not contagious, and they usually go away in a week or so. Canker sores are one of the most common mouth diseases. It’s estimated that over 20% of the US population have had them at some point. People in their teens and 20s are most likely to get canker sores. Canker sores appear less frequently in order people. Some people confuse canker sores with cold sores, but these are 2 completely different diseases. Scientists and doctors don’t know what causes canker sores, but is suspected that poor diet, anxiety, allergies, hormonal problems and weakened immune system may be related to them. Dry Mouth is a dental condition in which the level of saliva in the mouth is reduced. The saliva has several important functions – to moisten your mouth, to help cleaning small food pieces after eating, to help digestion, to control bacteria and keep the moth healthy. Almost everybody has experienced dry mouth at one time or another. There are many possible causes of dry mouth, which include but are not limited to stress, dehydration, or taking certain medications, having certain diseases, and smoking. If the glands in the mouth that produce saliva are not working properly, you can experience dry mouth. Having dry mouth can be really uncomfortable and you can experience thirst, dry feeling in the mouth and the throat, trouble swallowing, dry lips, sores, and dry tongue. Dry mouth can increase the risk of gum disease and dental caries. The treatment of a dry mouth will depend on what is causing the problem in the first place. If the dry mouth is caused by medication for example, your physician may change your medication. If you have a dry mouth you should avoid foods rich in sugar, and drinking coffee and alcohol. If you experience dry mouth symptoms and they are persistent you should visit your doctor or dentist right away.