The Stages of Tooth Decay, Explained

Tooth decay is the result of untreated plaque and its effect on your oral health. It's a gradual process that can be prevented with a good routine and a little help from your dentist.

It's important to know the stages of tooth decay so that you know what to look out for. We're going to take a look at this process today, giving you some insight into how you can prevent decay from occurring.

Keep reading to learn more.

Before you start to understand tooth decay stages, it's important that you know a little bit about plaque and how it operates. Plaque is basically a cluster of bacteria that builds up in your mouth as a result of the food we eat.

Over time, little colonies of bacteria spread and get a firmer hold on our teeth and gums. Plaque that develops past the initial phase and hardens onto our teeth is referred to as tartar.

Bacteria in plaque transform the sugar in our foods into acids that are damaging to teeth. This is where the risks of tooth decay begin.

Phase One

The first phase of tooth decay is a general breaking down of your enamel. The acids produced by plaque start to weaken your enamel.

Enamel is extremely strong, so it takes a little while for it to become demineralized enough to start decaying. That said, an individual with an irregular oral hygiene routine gives plaque enough time to start breaking down that enamel.

Phase Two

After a while, the acid works its way into the enamel and might start producing a few white spots on your teeth. This is a sign that the decay process has begun.

This leads to a period of time where the actual enamel starts to decay. Enamel decay leads to the darkening of those previously white spots. They might turn brown and develop to a point where they are blackish.

Those spots will continue to develop and can lead to cavities.

Phase Three

The third phase of the process is the erosion of something called dentin. Dentin is what sits beneath your enamel. Enamel is extremely strong and works to protect the dentin and everything beneath it.

Unfortunately, when the strong enamel is broken through, the erosion of dentin takes a lot less time to begin because it's much softer than enamel. Dentin also holds direct routes to the nerves in your teeth.

When you start to experience more sensitivity and pain, it might be a sign that your dentin has started to decay. Some people have naturally sensitive teeth, but if you notice a newfound sensitivity it might be something to look into.

Phase Four

Once the enamel and dentin have been worked through, the decay reaches the pulp. The pulp of your teeth is the core, where all of the blood vessels and nerves are located. These are the features of your teeth that work to keep them healthy.

Pulp will become irritated when it starts to decay, and this process will lead to inflammation and swelling. The pulp is contained within the hard shell of the tooth, so it doesn't have anywhere to go when it swells.

This means that your pulp will start pressing up against the inside of the tooth and cause pain to the various nerves inside.

Phase Five

The fifth and final phase of tooth decay is the infection of the gums and the development of an abscess. When the pulp decays and an infection occurs, a pocket of pus will develop under your tooth and this bacteria isn't bound to just one tooth.

This is the point where the decay has developed to a point where it's infecting the gums and that infection has the potential to spread throughout your gums and into other areas of your body.

You might feel serious pain when this happens, and that pain could be localized to the gum or it could start to enter your jaw at first. It's important that you get this situation treated and taken care of before it gets to this point.

The most important thing you can do in the prevention of tooth decay is to establish a regular oral hygiene routine and visit your doctor on a regular basis.

Your routine should involve healthy amounts of brushing, flossing each tooth , and mouthwash. The point is to disrupt and eliminate the colonies of bacteria every day so that they don't have the chance to develop and solidify.

Your enamel is pretty tough if you give it the little extra support it needs. Remember, it takes a while for the bacteria in your mouth to work enamel down and make their way into your dentin.

Scrubbing and flossing out bacteria the day that it arrives is the best way to interrupt that process. You can also keep your teeth healthy avoiding a lot of processed sugars. There are natural sugars present in a lot of fruit and even most carbs, but you wouldn't want to avoid those food groups.

Sugary sodas and candies, though, aren't doing anyone much good. If you can limit the intake of those kinds of foods, you'll give your teeth a better chance of staying healthy. This is especially true for sticky candies and sodas.

A Dentist Can Get You Back on Track

Wherever you're at in the process of tooth decay, a trip to the dentist will get you in a position to start recovering. A dentist can look at your situation and tell you exactly what's happening within the tooth, what you can do to improve things, and what your options for help are.

We all slip up sometimes and let our teeth get a little beyond our care, but there's no shame in getting a little help cleaning them back up.

Hopefully, our discussion of the stages of tooth decay has been helpful to you in understanding your own oral situation. We're here to help if you think things require a little assistance.