Caries. Caries of infant teeth in young children - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Ponder: To date, more than 90% of people suffer from a disease such as caries. More than 90%! !!That is, with the problem of carious lesions of the teeth, almost every one of us, so let's understand.

What is tooth decay?

Caries ( Latin "Caries" - decay) is a process of pathological destruction of hard tooth tissues( enamel and dentin), which occurs under the influence of various factors( local - located in the oral cavity, and general - depending on the general state of the body).

How does caries occur, what are its causes?

To date, the problem of caries has been studied quite deeply. It is proved that caries begins as a result of the harmful effect of the microbial flora of the oral cavity, the focal clusters of which on the tooth are called "dental plaque."When ingested into the oral cavity of sugars, the microorganisms of the "dental plaque" start splitting them to form organic acids. The shift of the acid-base balance occurs in the acidic side, which is the basis for the destruction of the mineral component of the tooth enamel - hydroxyapatite. If this process is not suspended( for example, by brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth, folk remedies for caries are suitable), then the protein matrix of the tooth is destroyed.

But microorganisms are not the only cause of caries development. The causes of its occurrence can be reduced to the following groups:

1) the presence of caries-forming microflora in the oral cavity( which is why dentists pay so much attention to oral hygiene and timely removal of foci of infection);
2) the presence in the oral cavity of "food" for this microflora - carbohydrates, in large quantities contained in sweet, flour products( this factor includes the issues of proper nutrition and a culture of carbohydrate consumption);
3) decrease in the general resistance of the organism( the presence of chronic or systemic diseases, stress, etc.).

Symptoms of caries

Different forms of caries are, in fact, its stages, following one after another.

Caries in the stage of a petrous spot

The carious process begins with enamel damage of the tooth in the form of a white, lost gloss, "petrous" spot. This stage is called the "white spot stage".As a rule, if this spot is on an inconspicuous place, the patient does not experience any manifestations of the disease, very rarely there is a sensitivity from sour or sweet. Only a timely appeal to the dentist can help cure caries in the stain stage. To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor can dye the enamel with the so-called "caries-marker"( healthy tooth tissues do not stain them, the dye remains only on the carious spot) or apply optical techniques. The outcome of the white spot stage can be either the stabilization of the process( in the case of a sufficient amount of mineral substances to restore the enamel of the tooth), or the process goes over into the surface caries( only enamel is involved) or the middle caries( already dentin is involved).

Photo caries on the stage of a melodious( white) spot

Surface and middle caries

In this situation, as a rule, the defect is visible to the naked eye in the form of darkening, "holes on the tooth," as the patients themselves say. The affected tooth becomes sensitive, especially to sweet, salty and sour. If caries develops between the teeth of , then patients complain of constant food jams or soreness in the area of ​​the gingival papilla( usually from a toothpick injury).If even this stage of caries remains untreated, then deep caries occur.

Photo of superficial caries

Photo of middle caries

Deep caries

All solid tooth tissues are already affected. In the deep cavity the remains of food constantly get stuck, there is an unpleasant smell from the mouth. Patients complain of severe pain from any irritants, but this pain is quickly passing.

Photo deep caries

If deep cavities are left without treatment, then more serious complications, pulpitis and periodontitis may develop.

Some dental diseases are very similar to manifestations of caries. It can be a wedge-shaped defect, enamel hypoplasia, fluorosis and some others. The tactics of treating these diseases are completely different, so only the doctor should diagnose it!

What methods of caries treatment exist today?

Today it has already been reliably proven that tooth enamel is capable of restoring the initial stages of caries .Perhaps this is due to the special structure of tooth enamel. Tooth enamel consists of a protein matrix and embedded in its crystal structure. If the protein matrix is ​​not destroyed( in the stage of the white spot), and only the loss of the mineral component occurred, the enamel is capable of recovery - remineralization.

Remureralization of tooth enamel

Such remedial( remineralizing) therapy is carried out by various methods( applications, electrophoresis, application of varnishes and gels) and preparations based on fluoride, calcium and phosphorus ions( 2% sodium fluoride solution, 10% calcium gluconate, fluorine varnishes andgels).The course of this therapy of caries is 15-20 procedures that are performed daily or every other day.

Filling of the teeth

If the caries has spread deeper than the surface layer of the enamel, especially when finding a defect in the natural grooves( fissures) or between the teeth, then this is an indication for tooth filling.

Is it possible to treat caries with folk remedies?

All folk methods of treatment( mainly rinsing with decoctions of plants or ingestion of fortifying tinctures) are directed not so much to the treatment of caries as to its prevention. Treatment( filling of the cavity) is possible only in a dental office by a qualified specialist, but prevention is available to everyone.

Caries under the seal.

What is "secondary caries"?Why is it formed? Indeed, often in the practice of a dentist, there is " secondary caries ", or " caries under the seal ".It arises either due to insufficient removal of infected tissues from the carious cavity during its mechanical treatment( then the remaining infection continues the process of destruction of the tooth tissues), or due to infection through the microspaces between the filling and the tooth tissues. As a rule, this situation arises from the long service life of the seal. Over time, any seal shrinks( cement and plastic fillings have the greatest shrinkage, and composite fillings are the least), thus creating a "gap" between the filling and the tooth. Microorganisms there multiply perfectly, but such places practically can not be cleaned, which triggers a secondary caries process. It appears as a darkening of the enamel of the tooth around the already existing filling, the sensitivity of the sweet and sour, it would seem, in the cured tooth. Treatment of secondary caries consists in removing an inconsistent filling, complete excision of infected tooth tissues and setting up a new seal that meets all requirements.

Caries of infant teeth in young children

How does caries occur in children? Are there any features? Unfortunately, more and more often it is necessary to observe the development of caries in young children, sometimes even less than two years old. Caries of milk teeth passes all the same stages as permanent( from a white stain to a deep caries), but still has a number of characteristics.

Photo Caries of infant teeth in young children

Caries in children are much more acute, that is, it develops systemically( almost all teeth are affected), much faster and, often, several foci in one tooth.

The oral hygiene of such small children is very difficult, which only aggravates the process.
The laying of milk teeth occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy( 6-8 weeks).As a rule, the cause of dental caries is some unfavorable factor that affects this period of pregnancy. It can be and reception of medical products( especially some groups of antibiotics), infectious diseases, stresses, etc.

Also the cause of tooth decay in children of such an early age can be incorrect eating habits. This constant presence in the mouth of sweet( use of caramel, biscuits, crackers), or a bottle with a mixture, usually containing sugar. In the latter case, even a separate group of "bottle caries" is distinguished - a lesion of the front teeth in contact with the nipple.

Treatment of cryes in young children is difficult due to the inability to use a full arsenal of treatment: the child is frightened by a drill and can not keep his mouth open for long. Therefore, the treatment of dental caries in children is not carried out as in adults. More on the treatment of infant teeth in the relevant article.

How to prevent tooth decay?

Prevention of caries begins before birth, as the formation of teeth begins in the third month of embryonic development, it makes sense even before birth to begin taking the mother of minerals, such as calcium and fluoride, vitamins.

In early childhood, it is necessary to teach the child to daily oral hygiene and a culture of food intake, especially sweet and sticky, to enrich the diet with foods rich in calcium( cheese, cottage cheese, milk, etc.).In addition, it is very effective to seal the fissures( grooves) of teeth with special materials( silant, sealants).

In adolescence, it is especially important to pay special attention to oral hygiene, tk.hormonal changes contribute to the increased formation of plaque.

Adults and the elderly, in addition to oral hygiene( tooth cleaning with preventive toothpaste and brush in the morning and evening), it is necessary to take care of the general resistance of the body, preventing the development of chronic diseases.

Everyone without exception - to undergo preventive examinations and conduct professional oral hygiene by a dentist 2 times a year!

Questions and answers of a dentist on the subject of caries:

What happens if you do not treat tooth decay of a baby's teeth, but just remove a sick tooth, will it grow another?
Children have an occlusion in the process of formation, and if one tooth is removed, it can form incorrectly, the teeth near the removed tooth will grow crooked and the new teeth in this place will also be crooked. I'm not talking about the fact that when removing a tooth, the rudiments of molars can be damaged. If the first symptoms of tooth decay in a child are found, be sure to consult a pediatric dentist, now there are many methods to save a child's teeth.

Doctor dentist Knyazeva EV