Dental caries: 6 curiosities that you probably don’t know Despite being one of the best-known and most prevalent diseases, it still hides some secrets. It is one of the diseases best known to everyone and, even so, it still hides curiosities unknown to many.
Dental caries affects between 60 and 90% of schoolchildren and almost 100% of adults worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Maintaining good oral hygiene, using fluoride toothpaste, watching your diet and visiting the dentist will keep it away from your teeth.
Now we will tell you 6 curiosities about dental caries that you probably didn’t know: Caries is contagious When we are born, our mouth is sterile and little by little it is invaded by germs.
In general, those that cause cavities are passed on to us by our own parents, in the same way that they can pass on the flu to us.
If we have cavities, gestures as common as kissing our child on the mouth favor its transmission… There are also studies that have shown that the bacteria responsible for cavities (Streptococcus mutans) are not only transmitted by parents, but also by classmates, sharing ice cream, drinking from the same glass… However, cavities are a multifactorial disease and the simple presence of cariogenic bacteria in our mouths does not mean that it will develop, but it does increase the chances.
The more this contagion is delayed, the better.
Tooth decay is not always bothersome or visible to the naked eye. We can suffer from tooth decay without feeling any pain.
Caries does not cause pain when it only affects the enamel, but it does when it reaches the dentin and nerve of the tooth.
Similarly, not all cavities are visible to the naked eye.
That is why regular visits to the dentist are so important to detect them in time.
If we go to the dentist when we see the “hole” or feel pain, we will probably encounter a dental abscess (accumulation of pus inside the tooth) or the destruction of the dental pulp.
And there will only be one solution: closure.
The more you eat, the greater the risk of cavities. When we eat, our mouth becomes acidic and our tooth enamel demineralizes.
After each meal, remineralization occurs, but if we eat continuously we do not allow this to occur and we will be more prone to cavities.
If we eat between meals, we should opt for foods that are healthy for our teeth: cheese, natural yogurt, fruit, vegetables… and brush our teeth after each bite.
If you sleep with your mouth open… If we breathe with our mouth open while we sleep, we are at greater risk of developing cavities than those who do it through their nose, as it causes the pH level of the mouth to decrease and, therefore, the enamel to demineralize.
Sleeping on your side can help prevent this.
Cavities are more common in asthmatics. Asthmatics tend to use inhalers to administer medication through the mouth.
As a result, they produce less saliva and of poorer quality (lower pH), which increases the incidence of cavities.
To avoid this, it is advisable to rinse and brush our mouth after each drink.
Sweets are not the main causes of tooth decay “Caries?
But what if my son doesn’t eat sweets!”
Cavities are not only caused by candies, sweets and sweets.
Foods rich in carbohydrates are the main causes of tooth decay, especially the most processed forms of starch: white bread, cookies, gingerbread… Also packaged juices or ice cream, which contain a lot of sugar. + info: Dental caries: how to avoid its spread