Caries Prevention

What is caries?

Caries is a tooth disease. The causes are plaque bacteria, sweet foods, and poor oral hygiene. The disease damages the teeth, can be painful, and eventually cause tooth loss. Caries are also referred to as tooth decay. Nowadays the disease is much rarer than it was a few decades ago. The major reasons for this are that nowadays more people use toothpaste with fluoride and overall oral hygiene has also improved.

What are the symptoms of caries?

The initial indication of caries is whitish or brownish spots on the teeth. As the disease progresses, cavities develop on the tooth surface. If deeper tooth layers are attacked, the disease also damages the tooth nerves and roots. Caries make the teeth sensitive and painful, especially when cold or sweet foods and beverages are consumed. Caries can damage teeth so severely that they have to be removed and replaced for instance by a bridge.