Reply:
Dear Thuy Dung, thank you for trusting and sending your question to Nhan Tam Dental Clinic. Regarding the question “Do small tooth decay need to be filled?”, we will answer specifically in the following article.
Tooth decay seems like a simple problem. However, tooth decay leads to many dangerous complications and affects the health of the whole body.
Causes of tooth decay
The cause of tooth decay is mainly due to poor oral hygiene, not thorough, food sticking to the teeth creates plaque, leading to the accumulation of bacteria on the tooth surface. Plaque is a favorable factor for bacteria to grow and form wormholes.
In children, age often eats junk food - foods containing a lot of sugar and starch. Leftover food stuck to the teeth becomes fertile ground for bacteria to work. That is also the reason why children in Vietnam between 6 and 8 years old have a very high rate of tooth decay, up to 85%.
Complications of tooth decay
Tooth decay is a process by which bacteria come into contact with the tooth structure, causing damage to the tooth surface. Without timely treatment, bacteria attack deeper into the crown, the structure of the tooth is seriously invaded, leading to damage to the tooth pulp, possibly even permanent tooth loss. Cavities also create foci of infection in the oral cavity and become a "bridge" for bacteria throughout the body. Untreated tooth decay and pulpitis will be necrotic, a complication of tooth abscess that is painful for the patient.
Tooth decay leads to impaired tooth function, suffers from frequent pain, affects eating and health. A child with tooth decay will lead to anorexia, malnutrition, and other illnesses.
When the tooth pain persists, or the pain intensity increases, the pulp may be inflamed. Then have to treat the tooth pulp, which is more expensive in terms of cost and time. Besides, when suffering from tooth decay, the patient's breath also has bad breath and many other conditions, affecting psychology and personal life.
What to do when your teeth are decayed?
For cases where tooth decay is not too serious, then welding and filling is a solution to help restore as well as prevent bacteria from entering the decayed tooth area. In your case, the tooth decay is still mild, the doctor will perform welding and filling for you to prevent further decay. The doctor will anesthetize and scrape the damaged tooth tissue, then the filling operation will be performed to seal the area of the tooth that has just been scraped away.
The sooner you get a filling, the better your chances of preserving your decayed tooth. If the tooth is too badly damaged, broken or inflamed, swollen root ... Then you must remove the tooth decay.
Measures to prevent tooth decay
Understanding preventive measures can help you prevent early tooth decay and keep it from getting worse. Tooth decay is completely different from damage in other parts, that is, it is not capable of self-healing.
The best way to protect your teeth is to:
- Brush your teeth regularly at least twice a day, before going to bed and after waking up. If possible, after each meal, you should also brush your teeth to remove food particles
- Brush your teeth thoroughly after using foods containing a lot of sugar and starch.
- Gargle with salt water every day to get rid of bacteria better.
- Regular visits to the dentist to remove tartar and detect oral diseases as soon as possible. From there, the dentist will recommend measures to overcome, helping you to protect your teeth in the best way.
Dental prosthetic technology is increasingly developing, making a great contribution to Vietnam's dental industry. However, dentures, no matter how modern, still cannot perform the chewing function as well as real teeth. Therefore, you must always uphold the importance of preventing tooth decay for you and your loved ones.