Why do we lose our teeth?

Dental caries is the most prevalent disease of oral cavity and the main cause of teeth loss. This disease afflicts almost everybody.

According to research by Fundacja Wiewiórki Julii (The foundation of Julia the Squirrel), nearly 90% of Polish children suffers from advanced dental caries, and almost half of them from occlusion defects (the research included 2,586 children from 40 primary and lower-secondary schools aged 5-15).

Another cause of teeth loss, which afflicst as many as 70% of Poles, is periodontitis, that is periodontal inflammation.

Dental caries can develop as early as in milk teeth

Simple carelessness in oral hygiene among children causes the development of dental caries even in milk teeth. When permanent teeth start to erupt, at the age of 6-7, dental caries transmits onto them.

Dental caries bacteria attach themselves to teeth surface on dental plaque and produce acids from sugars, which in turn cause tooth decalcification. If no remineralisation occurs, which means the reconstruction of damaged tooth enamel, and the process of decalcification persists, then it can eventually result in a cavity.

Every time we eat sugars, pH on the surface of a tooth covered in dental plaque decreases by ca. half an hour. This is when dental enamel is subject to decalcification. That is why the frequency of eating food containing sugar is such an important aspect of dental caries prophylaxis.

Untreated dental caries can result in a dental extraction. Unfortunately, in many cases patients go to a dentist when it is too late for treatment.

How to prevent dental caries?

Dental caries can be prevented by appropriate oral hygiene. A bare minimum is brushing one’s teeth with appropriately selected brush and toothpaste at least three times a day – after every meal – using sweeping movements.

It is also recommended to use fluoride toothpaste and interdental brushes, as well as dental floss and a mouthwash. Cleaning the tongue is also important, as quite a lot of bacteria responsible for dental caries is located on it.

It is also worth having one’s teeth polished and fluorided by a dentist every six months. Plus we cannot forget about check-ups which should be performed also every six months. Furthermore, pit and fissure sealing is another way of preventing caries in children.

Periodontitis, or periodontal inflammation

The second main cause of tooth loss is periodontitis. Prolonged accumulation of dental plaque causes it to build up also under gums, into gingival pockets. This, in turn, causes gingivitis, periodontitis and even irreversible damage. When untreated, they result in a loose tooth, and eventually its loss.

That is why, dental plaque removal is so important – it should be performed every six months by a dentist.

According to Agnieszka Szygenda, dentist, it is extremely important to diagnose periodontitis early, to still have a chance to save one’s teeth.

Early symptoms of periodontitis include gum bleeding, gum swelling, visible tooth cervix and tooth sensitivity to temperature. Bad breath is another characteristic symptom.

If no treatment is started at this stage, the disease can develop and cause tissue degradation around the tooth, tooth loosening, pain while chewing, and caries of revealed tooth roots.