The Anatomy of a Tooth Cavity: Cause and Treatment

Kids have a taste for sweets. They can tell if you brought home a pack of candies, and will grab at the sweets when they have the chance. The problem with too much sweets is that it can lead to the formation of cavities. Sugar does not actually bore a hole on teeth but its prolonged presence on a tooth’s surface triggers a sinister chain of events in the mouth.

The mouth is filled with bacteria. Like your kids, these bacteria love sweets, too, and when they start decomposing those sugary bits, the enzymes they produce react with the sugar to form lactic acid. This acid is corrosive enough to melt down the enamel, the hardest tissue in the human body.

The corrosion produced grows bigger until it turns into a visible black hole--not the one that sucks objects in space, but the dark, stinky hole that exposes the sensitive layers of the tooth, such as the dentin and the tooth root. When this happens, the tooth begins to experience intermittent sensitivity, especially when it gets in contact with food substances and acidic liquid.

Before the cavity grows and eats an entire tooth, the tooth has to be pulled out by a dentist. If the hole has not yet grown too big, the dentist can fill it with amalgam to prevent it from enlarging. It is important to immediately treat cavities, as severe cases can infect even the gum tissues, resulting in periodontal diseases.