Korey Scanlin

ISM- 1st Period

"TOOTH DECAY." SICK! Diseases and Disorders, Injuries and Infections. Online
Edition. Detroit: U*X*L.
Health and Wellness 2008. Student Resource Center- Green. Thomas Gale.
Clear Springs High School Lib., League City, TX. 30 Mar. 2016.

Tooth decay is the destruction of the enamel (outer surface) of a tooth.

Decay is caused by bacteria that collect on tooth enamel.
Bacteria obtain their food from sugar and starch in a person's diet.
When people eat those foods, the bacteria create an acid that attacks tooth
enamel and causes decay.
Tooth decay is the second most common health problem after the common
cold.
By some estimates, more than 90 percent of people in the United States have
at least one cavity; about 75 percent of people get their first cavity by the
age of five.
Anyone can get tooth decay.
Among young babies, tooth decay is a very common problem.
Tooth decay occurs when three factors are present: bacteria, sugar, and a
weak tooth surface.
The sugar often comes from sweet foods such as sugar or honey.
But it can also come from starchy foods such as bread and rice.
When a starch breaks down in the mouth, it forms sugar.
Bacteria that live on the tooth feed off of the sugar.
When the bacteria feed off of these sugars, they convert it into something
that is called lactic acid.
If the hole penetrates into the next tooth layer, called the dentin, the tooth
becomes sensitive to touch and temperature.
Healthy tooth enamel may be able to resist this acid.
Lactic acid can soak into these holes and dissolve the minerals of which
enamel is made.
Decay can even penetrate to the center of the tooth, the pulp.
If decay penetrates all the way to the center of the tooth, the inner tooth may
become inflamed and begin to ache.
Signs of tooth decay are more often than not very obvious.
A tooth could be sensitive to the touch, to hot or cold temperatures, or at
times to very sweet foods.
Another symptom is that the tooth could simply start to ache.
Caries: The medical term for tooth decay.
Amalgam: A mixture of mercury, silver, and other metals used to make
fillings for cavities.

Korey Scanlin
ISM- 1st Period

Dentin: The middle layer of a tooth.

Plaque: A thin, sticky film composed of sugars, food, and bacteria that covers
teeth.
This source went into great detail about how cavities are formed and really
showed me why all of these new technologies in dentistry are needing to be
found. With all of this occurring in our mouths it makes sense for dentist to be
constantly innovating old procedures. This information will help me on my
project by providing the why answer to all of these new procedures.