IndexThe war on plaque: what is a cavity? The cavityExternal factorsDentistry: history and futureThe war on plaque: what is a cavity? Tiny plaque villages live on the surface of the teeth, mostly made up of bacteria. These plaque villages, if not removed often with a toothbrush, will become permanent cities, called tarters. The resulting habitation of these villages and cities causes tooth decay. A hole caused by tooth decay will over time grow bigger and deeper until it turns into something no one wants to feel like they have: a cavity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cavities A cavity, or a hole in the tooth, is the direct result of tooth decay. Pretty simple, right? When that sticky, pesky plaque decides it's going to start calling your teeth home, it's time to brush your teeth. A little toothpaste and a little elbow grease can easily remove temporary plaque villages. However, since humans are very busy creatures, sometimes we forget to brush our teeth. Plaque takes the opportunity to lay the semi-permanent foundation of a city, called a tarter. Tartar is just like plaque but very hard and can only be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist. Both plaque and the relatively harder tartar are made up primarily of bacteria (Inga, 2011). While plaque and tartar are what we physically observe as the source of tooth decay, it is the bacteria that make up plaque, that actually causes tooth decay. This bacterium begins to produce acids, which eat away at the tooth enamel or outer layer of the tooth. Quick action by physically removing the bacteria through proper oral hygiene can prevent further tooth decay. If removed early enough, the enamel will be able to strengthen its weak points. There are even fortified mouthwashes that claim to regenerate enamel. This is only partly true, since enamel can be restored only in the early stages of tooth decay. Enamel is very strong and its power to defend the teeth should not be underestimated. It acts as a million-man army defending the interior parts of the country under attack. Like a large army, it is at the forefront of internal tooth protection and is very strong. It can also regenerate in the early stages of defense, just as a field hospital can heal infantrymen's wounds. After much of the enamel has been eroded, such as when an army suffers mass casualties, the enamel is unable to regenerate and protect the inner tooth. A break in the enamel and resulting hole in the tooth constitutes a cavity and must be repaired by a dentist to avoid further infection, recognized by many people as persistent pain (Inga, 2011). So why do people need to get cavities? filled? Patients often wonder why they need a filling if their tooth doesn't hurt. Redbud dental explains that “maintaining your teeth is similar to maintaining a car engine.” In other words, waiting to change the oil until the engine starts having problems will make the repair more complicated. Getting more complicated isn't just a mechanical problem; it is also a consumer problem. These larger problems will be more expensive and take a long time to fix. Teeth are the same way (Redbud Dental, 2012). If there is a small hole, or cavity, in a tooth, the filling is usually small and the result is a quick and relatively inexpensive fix. A small cavity can easily be repaired in less than 30 minutes at a general dentist at a cost of approximately $150-$300 (Legacy Dental). On the other hand, once the hole is allowed“in the middle of the tooth that contains soft tissue,” or pulp, where the nerves live, the tooth will start to hurt. A large hole, or cavity, often infects the pulp, which is the soft part of the tooth containing the nerves. The solution to this problem often takes longer and will cost more in the form of a root canal, where the pulp is cleaned, and a crown, where the entire top of the tooth is replaced by an artificial cap made in the laboratory (Redbud Dental , 2012). A large cavity that requires this much work may require multiple office visits, a referral to a specialist, and a financial burden of up to $2000 (Legacy Dental). Unfortunately, because pulp infection represents the initial stage of tooth death, if a person under middle age were to undergo root canal treatment, it is still "unlikely to last for the rest of the person's life" (Redbud Dental , 2012).While up to this point, repairing a cavity often means being able to keep a tooth, the longer the cavity is kept in place, the more the tooth will hurt and the more likely it is that the tooth will not be saved. When bacteria enter the soft tissue or pulp, as stated before, sensitivity begins. It gets worse when soft tissue swells due to infection, like a swollen thumb will swell from slamming the door. The swelling of a tooth, in contrast, is held captive in the dentin, or hard bone-like material of the tooth, and exerts pressure on the walls of the tooth. This swelling and increased pressure causes the blood supply to the tooth to be cut off. This happens when the tooth has died beyond repair (Redbud Dental, 2012). External Factors While regular maintenance of your mouth through regular toothbrushing, flossing, and a visit to the dentist can help avoid tooth decay, diet also plays a huge role. Since the dawn of dentistry, a correlation between nutrition and good oral health has been recognized. The healthier the diet one chooses to follow, the healthier the person's gums and teeth will be. Because dentistry is a clinical science, much of the research it uses is in the form of case studies. Let's examine a hypothetical case study of Jane Doe to examine the correlation between diet and oral health (ADA, 2002). Jane is a sixteen-year-old woman living in Chicago. As with all humans, Jane's body is a “complex machine” that relies on a balanced diet and exercise to stay healthy and function effectively. Jane runs cross country in high school to stay active. Even though she gets enough exercise and tries to eat healthy on the weekends, she sees nothing wrong with consuming large amounts of Gatorade to stay hydrated and make a quick fast food run post-workout. With practice four times a week and his drink of choice during his fast food run being a regular Coke, he does his part to contribute to the average of "53 liters of soft drinks per person" per year. With every soft drink consumed, Jane puts up to 12 teaspoons of sugar into her mouth. Also, remember that Jane drinks Gatorade during training, getting an additional 9 teaspoons per 20 ounces. bottle (ADA, 2002) At her dentist appointment, Jane is in for a big surprise. While brushing her teeth early in the morning before school and late at night before going to bed, her dentist tells her that she has a cavity in her left back molar. This is probably due to his poor diet. Jane's large sugar intake has a major effect on how quickly she is able to develop tooth decay. Every time you consume sugar it feeds the bacteria to produce acid. Everything is fineEvery time he takes a drink of soda or Gatorade or every time he decides to snack on a Snickers bar for quick energy, he comes into contact with sugar. Acid is produced whenever a bacterium is fed sugar or starch, allowing an attachment to the teeth for twenty minutes or more (ADA, 2002) Dentistry: A History and a Future In 5000 BC, it is difficult to imagine how the Sumerians imputed tooth decay due to the invasion of the teeth by worms. The tiny worms are thought to bore small holes in your teeth and hide inside. Some ancient physicians, in attempting to remove them, "mistaken the nerves for tooth worms and tried to tear them out." Although this is a primitive idea for most people, the "tooth worm" theory lasted until the 1700s, when it was proven false. (Davis, 2012). In Greece, Hippocrates and Aristotle are the dentists who write about dentures as a way to “keep away pain in the mouth.” This method of freeing the mouth from tooth decay continued until the Middle Ages, when not dentists, but barbers, extracted teeth from their patients' mouths. Barbers begin using a specialized type of pliers called a "dental pelican" and later a "dental wrench" to remove teeth. These tools are the ancestors of modern forceps, again simply a specialized forceps, used in modern extractions (Davis, 2012). “Modern” dentistry really began between 1650 and 1800 with the French physician Pierre Fauchard, considered the “father of modern dentistry.” Fauchard is the mastermind behind many modern procedures such as dental fillings. He also explains how sugar acids are the source of tooth decay, not small worms. Modern density continues in the 1800s with the founding of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, now the School of Dentistry from the University of Maryland, in 1840. It is also in the 1800s that government regulation exploded, the American Dental Associate was formed to supervise, and Colgate mass-produced the first toothpaste in a jar. Going to the dentist became a little more bearable in 1905 when novocaine was invented as a local anesthetic (Davis, 2012). As for the future, there seems to be no limit when it comes to dentistry , former president of the American Dental Association, highlights the path towards tissue regeneration and implant dentistry. Soft tissue regeneration is beginning its path to the future through the use of tissue grafts. The grafting procedure is similar to repairing a tear in a perforated piece of paper using a reinforcing label. When the gum recedes or pulls away from the tooth, a piece of gum tissue is moved from another area to protect the exposed part of the tooth. Additionally, hard tissue regeneration is limited but possible through the use of calcium phosphate in toothpaste to rebuild enamel. It's like introducing a chemical to prevent a cracked sidewalk from filling its cracks, increasing its strength. Likewise, calcium phosphate will induce remineralization of the enamel, which is very important for the integrity of a tooth (Rose, 2006). While tissue regeneration is an important future of dentistry, the impact of implant dentistry is only as promising. The implants are already made as porcelain teeth on a stainless steel rod screwed into the jaw bone. While this advancement is huge given that implants can be used for life and look a lot like natural teeth, they are often expensive. The cost of a new implant can range from $1600 to over $2000 depending on the individual case. According to Rose, implantology is in the future.