Table of contentsThe war against dental plaque: what is a cavity?CariesExternal factorsDentistry - A history and a futureThe war against dental plaque: what Is a cavity? Living on the surface of your teeth are tiny villages of plaque, mostly made up of bacteria. These plaque villages, if not removed often by brushing your teeth, will become permanent towns, called tartar. The resulting habitation in these villages and towns leads to tooth decay. A cavity hole will get bigger and deeper over time and become something no one wants to hear: a cavity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Decay A cavity, or 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. A little toothpaste and a little elbow grease can easily remove temporary plaque spots. However, since humans are busy creatures, brushing our teeth is sometimes forgotten. Plaque uses this opportunity to lay the semi-permanent foundation of a city, called tarter. Tartar looks like plaque, but it is very hard and can only be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist. Plaque and its relatively harder tartar are mainly made up of bacteria (Inga, 2011). Although plaque and tartar are what we physically observe as the source of cavities, it is the bacteria that make up plaque that actually causes cavities. This bacteria begins to produce acids that eat away at tooth enamel, or the outer layer of the tooth. Prompt action through physical removal of bacteria through proper oral care can prevent further decay. If removed early enough, the enamel can strengthen its weak points. There are even fortified mouthwashes that claim to regenerate enamel. This is only partially true, because enamel can only be restored in the early stages of decay. Enamel is very resistant and its dental defense power should not be underestimated. It acts like an army of a million men defending the interior of the attacked country. Like a big army, it is the forefront of protecting the inner tooth and is very strong. It can also regenerate in the early stages of defense, much like a field hospital is able to heal infantrymen's wounds. Once a large portion of the enamel is eroded, such as when an army suffers mass casualties, the enamel is unable to regenerate and protect the inside of the tooth. A break in the enamel and the resulting hole in the tooth constitutes a cavity and must be repaired by a dentist to prevent further infection, recognized by many people as persistent pain (Inga, 2011). So why do people need a cavity filled? Patients often wonder why they need a filling if their tooth doesn't hurt in the first place. Redbud Dental explains, “Teeth maintenance is similar to maintaining a car engine.” In other words, by waiting to change your oil until the engine starts to have problems, the repair will be more complicated. Becoming more complicated isn't just a problem of mechanics; it’s also the consumer’s problem. These larger issues will be more costly and time-consuming to resolve. Teeth are the same way (Redbud Dental, 2012). If there is a small hole, or cavity, in atooth, the filling is usually small, allowing for quick and relatively inexpensive repair. A small cavity can be easily repaired in less than 30 minutes at a general dentist and costs between $150 and $300 (Legacy Dental). On the other hand, once the hole is allowed "in the middle of the tooth which 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 center of the tooth containing the nerves. The solution to this problem often requires more time and will cost more in the form of a root canal, where the pulp is cleaned out, and a crown, where the entire top of the tooth is replaced with an artificial cap made in a laboratory (Redbud Dental, 2012). A large cavity requiring this much work can require multiple office visits, a referral to a specialist, and a financial burden of up to $2,000 (Legacy Dental). Unfortunately, because pulp infection is the start of tooth death, if someone younger than their 50s were to have a root canal, it is still "unlikely to last the rest of their life" ( Redbud Dental, 2012). While until now, repairing a cavity often means being able to save a tooth, the longer the cavity is kept in place, the more the tooth will hurt and the more likely it will not be saved. When bacteria enter the soft tissue or pulp, as noted previously, sensitivity begins. This gets worse as the soft tissues swell from the infection, like a swollen thumb swelling from slamming it in the door. Conversely, the swelling of a tooth is held captive in the dentin, or hard bone-like material of the tooth, and puts pressure on the walls of the tooth. This swelling and increasing pressure causes the blood supply to the tooth to be cut off. This is when the tooth is beyond repair (Redbud Dental, 2012). External Factors Although maintaining the mouth regularly through regular tooth brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist can help prevent cavities, diet also plays a huge role. Since the beginnings of dentistry, there has been a recognized correlation between nutrition and good oral health. The healthier the diet chosen, the healthier the person's gums and teeth will be. Because dentistry is a clinical science, much of the research it uses takes the form of case studies. Let's look at 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. Like that of all human beings, 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 at her high school to stay active. Although she exercises enough and tries to eat healthy on the weekends, she sees nothing wrong with consuming large amounts of Gatorade to stay hydrated and eating quickly after training. With a four-times-a-week practice and her drink of choice during her fast-food run being regular Coke, she helps contribute to the average of "53 gallons of soda per person" per year. With every soft drink Jane consumes, she introduces up to 12 teaspoons of sugar into her mouth. Also, remember that Jane drinks Gatorade while training, which adds up to an extra 9 teaspoons per 20 ounces. bottle (ADA, 2002) During her appointment with the dentist, Jane will have a big surprise. As she brushes her teeth early in the morning before going toschool 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 high sugar intake has a significant effect on how quickly she is able to develop tooth decay. Every time it consumes sugar, it feeds the bacteria to produce acid. Every time she has a glass of soda or Gatorade or every time she decides to snack on a Snickers bar for quick energy, she comes into contact with sugar. Acid is produced whenever a bacteria is fed sugar or starch, allowing an attack on 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 blamed tooth decay on the invasion of teeth by dental worms. The little worms are thought to make holes in your teeth and hide inside. Some ancient physicians, in an attempt to eliminate them, "mistook the nerves for dental worms and tried to pull them out." Although 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 were the dentists who wrote about tooth extractions as a way to “ward off oral pain”. This method of ridding the mouth of decay continued until the Middle Ages, when it was not dentists, but barbers, who extracted teeth from their patients' mouths. Barbers began 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 simple specialized forceps, used in modern extractions (Davis, 2012). “Modern” dentistry really began between 1650 and 1800 with the French doctor Pierre Fauchard who is considered the “father of modern dentistry. Fauchard is the brains behind many modern procedures such as dental fillings. It also explains how the acids in sugars cause tooth decay, not tiny worms. Modern density continued into the 1800s with the founding of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, now the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, in 1840. It was also in the 1800s that government regulation exploded, that the American Dental Associate was created to provide oversight, and that Colgate massacred -produced the first toothpaste in a jar. Visiting the dentist became a little more bearable in 1905, when novocaine was invented as a local anesthetic (Davis, 2012). Looking to the future, there seem to be no limits when it comes to dentistry. Dr. Timothy Rose, past president of the American Dental Association, focuses on the path forward toward tissue regeneration and implant dentistry. Soft gum tissue regeneration is beginning its journey into the future with the use of tissue grafts. The grafting procedure is similar to repairing a tear in a perforated piece of paper through the use of a reinforcing tag. When the gum recedes or pulls away from the tooth, a piece of gum tissue from another area is moved 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 own cracks, thereby increasing its strength. In the same way, the.