Tooth Decay Detection in London

Causes Of Tooth Decay

The primary cause of tooth decay is the accumulation of plaque. Plaque forms from a combination of acids, bacteria, food particles, and saliva in the mouth. This sticky substance adheres to the teeth and builds up over time. The acids in the plaque can erode tooth enamel, leading to the formation of cavities, or holes in the teeth. This highlights the significance of brushing twice daily.

Sugar consumption also increases your predisposition to tooth decay. The more sugar you consume, the more acid is produced in your mouth, which can lead to decay and cavities.

When sugar combines with plaque and weakened tooth enamel, it increases your susceptibility to tooth decay. Each time you consume sugary snacks, your teeth are exposed to additional acid damage for 20 minutes. This is why it is essential to brush your teeth within 20 minutes of consuming sugar to reduce your risk of decay.

The predisposing factors to tooth decay and cavities include:

• Poor dental hygiene – If you do not brush your teeth regularly, plaque can accumulate, potentially damaging the tooth enamel.
• Dry Mouth – Saliva plays a crucial role in washing away plaque from the teeth. When you experience dry mouth due to reduced saliva production, plaque can accumulate more rapidly.
• Eating and drinking – Both eating and drinking significantly contribute to the formation of tooth cavities. When you consume food or beverages, carbohydrates can remain on your teeth until they are thoroughly brushed. When bacteria digest these lingering carbohydrates, they produce acid. Even after brushing, some food particles may remain on your teeth. Certain foods that adhere to your teeth can increase the risk of cavities. It is essential to brush your teeth regularly, especially after consuming dry cereals, fruits, caramel, sugary cereals, cookies, hard candy, breath mints, toffee, or after drinking milk or soda. Additionally, schedule regular dental visits for professional cleanings to remove bacteria and plaque from hard-to-reach areas.
• Medical problems – Certain medical conditions and treatments can increase your susceptibility to tooth decay. For example, cancer therapies that reduce salivary flow can contribute to this risk.
• Smoking and tobacco products – These reduce blood circulation, which weakens the body’s immune response, impairs healing ability, and increases the risk of gum inflammation.

Why Early Tooth Decay Detection Matters

Early tooth decay often does not show any signs or symptoms. Even if your tooth appears healthy, decay may be silently progressing.

The initial stage of tooth decay involves the demineralisation of the tooth’s hard outer layer, known as the enamel. It takes a considerable amount of time for bacteria to produce sufficient acids to dissolve this hard, mineralised tissue. Eventually, this demineralisation may manifest as a white spot, which requires careful examination to identify these affected areas.

The earlier tooth decay is detected, the less destruction occurs to the tooth structure, resulting in less painful treatment. Once tooth destruction occurs and a cavity forms, tooth decay becomes irreversible, and the tooth structure cannot be regenerated; it can only be restored using dental fillings.

However, if tooth decay is identified during the early demineralisation stage, it can be reversed. Early tooth decay detection allows for more conservative and less invasive treatments through fluoride application. Fluoride interacts with the calcified tooth structure to create a compound that is more resistant to bacterial acids and decay.

If the cavities are small, they can be treated easily and affordably, thereby reducing your risk of developing severe dental pain.

Tooth decay can be detected using powerful lighting and high magnification, which allows for easy identification of the problem and prevention of further damage. However, a dentist can identify decay beneath the enamel, infections in the root, or bone loss around the tooth through the use of X-rays.

Tooth Decay Detection Tools at Camden

Tooth decay detection has seen significant advancements, driven by the understanding that early detection is preferable to later intervention. Camden High Street Dental Practice utilises the latest trends for tooth decay detection during our routine dental examinations to identify early signs of decay and prevent considerable damage to the tooth structure.  Our tooth detection tools include:

1. Visual-Tactile Examination

Visual examination for tooth decay primarily relies on identifying holes or cavities in the teeth, as well as the presence of dark spots. An effective visual assessment necessitates adequate lighting and a dry field. However, this method has limitations, particularly in identifying decay between teeth, and stained areas may be misinterpreted as tooth decay.

Tactile examination involves the use of sharp instruments, such as dental explorers or probes, which are passed along the tooth surface where caries is suspected. If the instrument catches, this may indicate the presence of tooth decay or a cavity. However, tactile examination alone cannot provide a definitive diagnosis, as the explorer may catch in pits and fissures that represent the normal anatomy of the teeth’s grinding surfaces. Additionally, explorers may cause a break in the demineralised tooth structure, leading to a disruption of the tooth’s surface integrity and diminishing the chances for successful remineralisation using fluoride.

2. Radiographic Examination
Radiographic examination, in conjunction with visual and tactile methods, represents the most common approach to detecting tooth decay.
When X-rays penetrate tooth and bone structures, the calcified tissues absorb the X-rays, resulting in a white appearance on the radiograph. The greater the amount of calcified tissue, the whiter it appears in the image. In contrast, soft tissues, and non-calcified areas, such as those affected by tooth decay, appear as dark regions on the radiograph.
Camden High Street Dental Practice is equipped with the latest radiographic examination technology, including digital X-rays. Digital X-rays utilise a small sensor that is inserted intraorally to capture the image, which then appears instantly on the screen. Digital radiography produces high-quality images, eliminates the need for chemical processing, reduces radiation exposure, and allows for easy image storage.

3. Laser Fluorescence
Laser fluorescence is a safe, non-invasive method used for early decay detection. The device measures the amount of fluorescence emitted by the tooth after being exposed to a diode laser. Initially, the diode laser is directed toward a healthy, clean tooth to calibrate the device. Then, the laser is directed to the teeth, and the amount of fluorescence emitted is calculated. The higher the amount of light absorbed, the higher the chances for decay.

4.Digital Fiber Optic Transillumination ( DFOTI)

A non-invasive method used for decay detection. It works based on the concept of emitting a high-intensity white light, and images of the teeth are captured using a special camera. DFOTI offers the advantage of elimination of radiation risk compared to the radiographic technique, enhanced patient comfort, and high sensitivity for caries detection.

Electronic Caries Monitor (ECM)

The electronic caries monitor measures the electrical conductivity of the tooth structure. The electrical conductivity is higher in tissue with high porosity, such as decayed tissue. In other words, the decayed parts will have higher readings compared to healthy tissue. Electronic caries monitor is a reliable and sensitive method to detect initial caries; however, it can be affected by the presence of stains on the tooth surface, therefore, it must be used in conjunction with other tooth decay detection tools.

Usually, tooth decay detection may involve the combination of two or more of these tools or more to reach a definitive diagnosis and avoid misdiagnosis of tooth decay, which may lead to unnecessary tooth cutting.

Treatment Options for Tooth Decay

Our dental experts tailor specific treatment plans not only to treat tooth decay, but also to decrease your risk of developing new cavities. The treatment options will depend on the severity of the condition, which is assessed through the collected pain history of the decayed tooth and the data collected from the tooth decay detection tools. The treatment solutions for decayed teeth at Camden High Street Dental Practice include:

2. Dental crowns

If you have severe tooth decay, your dentist could place a customised cap over the tooth to replace the natural  dental crown . Initially, all decay must be removed, then the tooth is restored using amalgam or composite resin material. For further reinforcement, the tooth is prepared by removing enough tooth structure to provide a space for seating the dental crown.

1. Dental fillings

The tooth filling process involves drilling to remove the decayed tooth structure and prepare the cavity to receive the dental restoration. We have a variety of dental fillings according to the size of decay, the tooth location, and your preferences, including.

• Amalgam: the grey silver filling that represents the most common type of tooth filling. They are durable and inexpensive; however, they require excessive cutting in the tooth structure to prepare a specific cavity design to increase their retention, and their metallic colour is not accepted by some patients.
• White fillings: these are tooth-coloured resin material that are bonded to the tooth structure without a specific cavity design, offering a highly esthetic and minimally invasive restoration.

3. Root canal treatment

When the decay causes severe tooth destruction that leads to tooth pulp involvement, root canal treatment is the only treatment solution to avoid tooth extraction.

Root canal treatment involves removing the tooth pulp (blood vessel tissues and nerve tissue) in addition to the decayed areas of the tooth. After this, the root canal is cleaned, disinfected, and filled using a thermoplastic material to seal the root canals.

Tooth Decay Prevention

In our pursuit to provide our patients with the optimum preventive and treatment solutions, our experts offer tooth decay prevention solutions for patients with a high susceptibility to developing tooth decay. These preventive solutions include:

Topical fluoride application: topical fluoride gel can be applied to initial tooth decay that only causes tooth demineralisation. The fluoride combines with the chemical structure of the tooth to form a compound that is more resistant to tooth decay.

Dental sealants : They are a protective coating applied to the grinding surface of the back teeth because they contain pits, fissures, and grooves that cause food accumulation and increase the incidence of tooth decay.

Hygiene visits: Hygiene visits are considered the most important step for tooth decay prevention. Dental hygiene visits involve professional teeth cleaning to remove plaque and calculus that cannot be removed during daily oral hygiene practices at home. Plaque and calculus are the main causes of tooth decay.