Tooth decay stages
The following explains the stages of decay:
The acids that form in dental plaque attack the minerals in the hard layer of the tooth called the enamel, which is the outer layer that covers the tooth. Erosion of the enamel layer in the tooth leads to the occurrence of small holes in it and thus tooth decay.
Parts of the enamel layer are eroded, and thus germs and acids are able to reach the second layer of the tooth, which is called dentin, which is the middle layer of the tooth. This layer is softer and less able to resist acids than the enamel layer.
When the tooth decay process reaches this point, the frequency and speed of tooth decay gradually increases, and as this continues, bacteria and acids progress on their way into the layers that make up the tooth, as they advance into the pulp layer, which is the inner layer of the tooth, which leads to swelling and irritation .
Tooth decay also affects the bone that supports the tooth. In the very advanced stages of caries, the patient suffers from severe pain, excessive sensitivity in the teeth when biting, and other symptoms.
The body may defend such bacterial penetration inside it by sending white blood cells to fight the emerging infection, and as a result an abscess may form in the teeth as this tooth decay process takes a short time.
The continuation of the erosion of the layers of the tooth one after the other as a result of decay, this process is accelerating more and more, and the decay often begins in the area of the back molars, because it has more holes, gaps and zigzags than other teeth.
Although this structure helps a lot with chewing food, it is also an excellent breeding ground for food debris, and these molars are more difficult to clean than the front teeth, which are more touching and easy to reach.
As a result, dental plaque forms more easily and quickly in molars, where germs thrive and produce acids that kill the enamel layer.