Caries

Question: Caries...? I'm 16 and I've recently noticed I have chalky white spots on the back of two of my teeth at the bottom. I go to the dentist regularly (I have braces at the minute) and I'm assuming he's seen them but he hasn't mentioned them. I'm just curious as to weather caries are treatable? Is there anything my dentist can do to stop it progressing into something worse?

Answer: caries is cavities, use a fluoride rinse everyday. Ask your hygienist to check it out at your next cleaning and stay away from pop. even diet.

Question: I understand there is a differnce between dental erosion and caries.Can a bulimic have caries without erosion? I have been suffering from my ED for several years and recently visited a dentist. After reading the report I notice that I need 16 teeth restored due to "rampant caries lesions". The report does not indicate any level of erosion. Is this normal or possible for someone with bulimia?

Answer: Yes you can have cavities with out erosion but typically the erosion aides in cavity formation. I am sure that if you are vomiting bulimic that you have moderate erosion of you enamel. Treatments: get psych treatment, use fluoride, avoid whitening creams, brush and floss and follow your dentists instructions.

Question: How much would i have to pay to a dentist in America if i am not insured and he does cure a caries? I had a caries today and went to a dentist here in Egypt and paid $150. How much would it be in USA?

Answer: Well first you'd be looking at about $50 for the initial visit. Another $80-150 for x-rays. THEN you make another appointment to go back and have the caries filled. So that would be another maybe $300 to start, and it would be more depending on what materials he uses and how big the caries is and considering nothing else is wrong. It also depends on the doctor. Good luck!

Question: What age group in population have the higest risk for interproximal caries? what about root caries, what age group is generally more effected by that?

Answer: THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIABLES TO LIMIT THE ABOVE TO AN AGE GROUP

Question: How to distinguish pain from dental caries and pain from periodontal tissue? I would like to know physiological cause, and ways to diagnose the pain above. Thank you.

Answer: The differences can be subtle to diagnose yourself. Dental X-rays and examination by a dentist is the best option. Having that said periodontal disease is painless until it progresses to the end stage. Teeth with severe periodontal disease will become loose and can move within the socket like a "joy stick." Then the gum can abscess with significant pain. A tooth with severe caries can be distinguished by the big hole somewhere in the tooth. The hole may be on top or in between the teeth. Periodontal disease becomes worse with age, ie 40+. If you are under 25 I would be wildly speculating caries or some sort of problem with the nerve of the tooth. Having said all this, the difference can be academic. Either can result in an abscess and either can hurt really bad. Either can result in the need to extract the tooth. If this is happening to you it is definitely time to see a dentist for an opinion and treatment. I'll keep my fingers crossed he/she could save the tooth Oh yeah, physiologic cause: caries>> bacterial infection out of control within the tooth. Periodontal>> bacterial infection out of control within the gum pocket.

Question: How do you differentiate between fluorosis and caries? Both appaear as white spots on the teeth, so clinically how do you differentiate between them?I know it has something to do with their appearance while wet and dry, but I am not sure what? please help me I can't find this in any book. Darlings, I am a semi prof myself so don;t explain what a crown is, I need to know how you can differentiate between fluorosis and caries CLINICALLY.

Answer: welllll, if you gently apply an explorer, you're going to get a little stick - anytime you don't get a stick, I suggest leaving it alone- even if it's incipient lesions, they may remineralize and (assuming patient recall is good!) you can always catch it later. As far as wet/dry, I BELIEVE the caries is more apparent dry, but I could be wrong. I did some research and came up with this british journal, which seems to imply that the dx is so unreliable that you have to use fluorescence to do it! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query… This one seems to demonstrate the sheer RANGE of various caries detection techniques, thereby implying a need to standardize the diagnostics: http://jdr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/content/… I'll see if i can find more info and post back, but I have the feeling the "wet/dry" technique, while somewhat helpful, may be dated....

Question: what is the difference between DMFS, DMFT and deft dental caries index? I would like to know what exactly the DMFS, DMFT and deft dental caries index are and what is the differences between them.

Answer: DMFS: is a count of the number of: decayed, missing, filled tooth SURFACES in a persons mouth. DMFT: is a count of the number of: decayed, missing, filled TEETH in a persons mouth. deft: is a count of the number of decayed, extracted, filled TEETH in a persons mouth. So each of the different indices counts either surfaces or teeth, present or absent.

Question: What are the dentists going to do if I have Pit and fissure caries? I look at my teeth and i see tiny black stuff on the fissures of my molars. I am so freakin scared. Are the dentists going to do something painful?

Answer: Pit and fissure caries are the smallest decay there is possible. If you see black stuff on the fissure areas of your molars, that is bec it is where we grind our food and eventually the first area or surface that gets attacked by bacteria and therefore decay starts. If decay is evident when dentist checks on it, the dentist will treat it by preparing it to receive a filling, a perm one. If it is just some stain showing, it may just need a coat of sealant on top of it. These are called pit and fissure sealants. If the decay is shallow enough and you need a superficial filling, the dentist won't numb you unless you prefer to be numbed. You won't need to be numbed too if you just need the sealant. It is not painful at all. If you need to get numbed, a topical gel will be introduced first prior to giving you the shot, so you won't feel the prick thru the gum when it is needed. No worries... :-) You'll be just fine.

Question: How is the streptococcus mutans transmitted from mother to child, resulting in severe early caries.? The dentist told me that it's my fault that my child has this disease. Please tell me how I transmitted it?

Answer: Hi! I've been in dentistry for over 25 years and I think your dentist needs a swift kick in the ***. ALMOST all human beings carry this in their mouths and that is why dentists have you brush, floss and use fluoride. HE is a MORON!! To guilt you into to this is inhuman and find another dentist!!!! This is a common bacteria that everyone has. Duh. It is stimulated by what we eat and any foods with sugar or sugar based origin contributes to this. Which is almost all foods. Some people are more prone them others which is why your child need fluoride vitamins and rinses everyday. This guy is an idiot. If I have a patient that is prone to decay, I get them on a good hygiene schedule and a topical fluoride gel last thing at night. If their children show the same characteristics, I have them make the child chew the vitamins at night before bed, after they brush, floss and rinse with ACT or any other fluoride prevention rinse. If the child has cavities, we discuss diet, prevention and how to step it up. Please don't let him intimidate you, this is crass and stupid. Like you did this with intent. What a jerk!! If you have any other questions, please ask. M

Question: What is the treatment of caries in the front teeth? Can fillings be applied to the front teeth as well?

Answer: Yes white fillings (resins) can be used in front teeth. First of all after numbing the tooth/teeth the decay has to be removed with a drill (or occasionally a laser) then a white filling material is inserted and bonded into place. There are many shades of filling material so it can be closely matched to the shade of your teeth.

Question: what is the best homeopathic remedy for dental caries in children? Can my six year old daughter avoid having a filling in her molar which has a dental cavity?

Answer: No. Homeopathic remedies won't help this problem because they won't help any problem. Homeopathy is pure quackery of the most ridiculous kind. Listen to your dentist.

Question: What is the primary mechanism associated with the role of fluoride in prevention of dental caries? a. Fluoride increases calcium absorption which increases crystal formation of teeth b. Decay is inhibited due to neutralization of organic acids produced by bacteria on the teeth c. Decay is reduced due to the inhibitory effects of fluoride on growth of bacteria on the teeth d. Fluoride becomes incorporated into the crystalline structure of teeth making them less susceptible to decay

Answer: D

Question: What I do with the caries on my frontal teeth? How I fill this? This is painless but but looks very odd. I could not laugh heartily.

Answer: A smile is definitely one of the first things people will notice about you. They say a smile is worth a thousand words. A quick visit to the dentist will remedy the situation and get you looking and feeling your best. They may x-ray to determine the depth of the cavity, numb you if necessary(some are so superficial you don't need anesthetic) drill out the decay, place an adhesive light cured agent, some composite resin(white filling), light cure again and polish it up. Viola! Good as new. Take care of it while it's a small problem and a small price. If you don't it WILL get worse...

Question: What are the difference between dental caries and tooth decay?

Answer: There is no difference between dental caries and decay. Just different terminology.

Question: Ozone therapy for the treatment of dental caries? Any dentist out there heard about it and what are your thoughts. Haven't heard about it check out this link http://www.ada.org.au/media/documents/Pr…

Answer: I can't speak to that directly, but ozone is GREAT for everything from cancer to AIDS to the common cold. Seriously, it's one of the most healing things you can do for yourself, and you can get an ozone generator off of ebay for under $60 (I just did, and I love it).

Question: How to stop caries from growing? So the past few weeks i have been lazy and neglecting my teeth, and eating a lot of sweet foods. To my horror i found a small hole on the side of one of my teeth. I can feel the edges of the hole with my tongue but it doesn't hurt at the moment. If i brush it really clean, will that stop it from growing? Should i just leave it or do you recommend i go see the dentist to get a filling done? the hole is about 3mm wide, not really deep. Has a bit of brown bit on the edge.. thanks.

Answer: sorry, there is no home remedy to stop that kind of dental caries from growing. a 3mm hole is not "small" relative to the size of your teeth. go see a dentist asap for a filling while it hasn't become sensitive yet. the hole you see will actually become bigger and deeper when the dentist makes a cavity preparation because he has to remove all caries-affected tooth structure and get to the sound tissue before putting in the filling. this procedure is done to help prevent recurrence of caries formation after putting in the filling. do it soon. waiting too long might mean the difference between a root canal (which is much, much more expensive and troublesome ) and a simple filling. good luck.

Question: Can one get dental caries because of french-kissing? I've never had problems with my teeth, but i think that my lover has dental caries and I fear I'm going to catch it from him. Is this likely? He's also a smoker, if that fact means anything?

Answer: No, even though caries is an infection of the tooth with bacteria, and they can spread to another tooth, you will not get caries from french kissing. The human mouth contains a natural flora of bacteria that keeps other "bad" bacteria at bay, so there is kind of "no room" for those other bacteria to invade. The bacteria grow on plaque and calculus of the teeth, and break down sugars and carbohydrates to lactic acid, which breaks down enamel, which is what causes caries. That's why it is important to brush and floss regularly. If you don't floss, it's like only brushing some of your teeth.

Question: what can I do to correct dental caries? I was at dentist and had a check up and I forgot to ask what I could do for the brown specs on the front teeth, very tiny but ruins my smile in my eyes anyhow. please help. Thanks

Answer: For a cavity that is physically there, your only option may be to get it filled. To prevent FUTURE cavities, try using a fluoridated tooth paste (ie crest pro health) and mouth wash. Like I said though, they only prevent future cavities from forming, and unfortunately don't help with cavities that are pre-existing.

Question: why when i drink coke my teeth hurts or i feel as caries will hit? my teeth but it never but as it caries will hit my teeth... any help ?

Answer: Coke is terrible for teeth, it is packed full of sugar, and very acidic. It most likely hurts when you drink it, because its damaging your teeth - you are getting an acid attack, from the coke itself, and the cariogenic bacteria in your mouth, feeding on the sugar in the coke. If you ever get the chance, put a tooth in a glass of coke, eg a milk tooth that has fallen out, and leave it for a few days. The tooth will disappear, dissolved by coke. -

Question: what caries alot of protiens and has a good taste? I need to gain muscles in 4 weeks or I will be in the risk of heart diseases

Answer: Edamame Beans, Salmon, Chicken, Whey Protein Drinks (don't get soy, they're awful - you can get all the amino acids from soy you need from the edamame beans which are harvested much younger than a soy product like tofu curd), most White Fish are good. I don't understand the correlation between building muscles and heart disease, but be careful and keep an eye on that.