CAUSES OF CAVITIES

There is really only one cause of cavities (also called dental caries)—bacteria inhabiting your mouth. These bacteria populate your mouth early in life, generally passed around in families from parents (generally the mother) to children.

The main culprit in cavity formation is Streptococcus mutans, bacteria that need a hard surface to live on, such as your teeth. Because they need this surface, the bacteria cannot inhabit a mouth that does not have teeth. However, by the age of two, most children have acquired a stable population of bacteria that cannot be eradicated, but can be controlled.

These bacteria form colonies on your teeth. Every time you eat, they eat, too. The food allows them to expand their colonies, and the thin biofilm of bacteria and their protective coating is what we call plaque. As the bacteria eat, they process sugars in your food into acid. This acid attacks your dental enamel. The indentations caused by the acid attacks give shelter to more bacteria, which in turn produce more acid to expand the indentations into deeper hollows, or cavities. The best thing about cavities from a bacterium’s point of view, is that they are safe from toxic saliva and pesky brushing, plus they trap food particles to ensure a steady supply for the lean times.

Once they form a cavity, bacteria will continue to expand it until they reach the interior of the tooth, where they will infect the tooth, causing an abscessed tooth, which requires endodontic treatment to correct.

Preventative dentistry is the best solution to reduce the population of bacteria and delay or stop the formation of cavities. To learn more about preventing cavities, please contact Chapnick Dental in Barrie, Ontario for an appointment today.