Treating Dental Decay in Mississauga – the acidity problem

Dental decay around gumline in a persistent coffee sipper

As long as humans have roamed the earth, we have suffered from dental decay. From time immemorial, teeth and their associated issues have been a conversation piece for humans and they are a hot topic today as well. Ancient Egyptian mummies still show the ravages of tooth decay and the feeble attempts of ancient practitioners to stem the rot. Success was not always guaranteed in ancient days, and many such failed attempts were followed by painful extractions done by primitive instruments; often with a few relatives holding the patient down forcefully. Why? Well, dental anesthesia was not discovered till just about a 100 years ago!

If this discussion causes you revulsion and an image with a rotten tooth and a squiggly worm snaking through the hole comes to your mind, then you are not alone. Most people think of dental decay as a hole in the tooth. As simple as that. A hole in the tooth that the dentist will clean out and fill with something magical and that is the end of that problem! Unfortunately, tooth decay is not so simple. Not meaning to say that dental decay is a complex mystery, it is just that the process is a complex one with many variables that influence it. Those who can understand the why and how, can take steps to prevent it or limit the damage done by cavities, the most common infection on the planet. Yes, tooth decay is an infection, like the flu or pneumonia, and it is the most common one prevalent today.

To understand dental decay, understand that a tooth has four main tissues, the white hard enamel that covers the outermost layer of the visible tooth in the mouth, an inner dentine, which forms the bulk of the tooth and is sensitive in the mouth when exposed to cold air and cold water, a soft tissue that fills the inside of the tooth called ‘pulp’, aka ‘the nerve’ which brings nourishment and blood supply to the tooth besides having the nerves in it as well. The last tissue is the cementum which covers the root surface, which is soft and helps anchor the tooth in the jawbone.

Although enamel is the hardest substance in the body, it weakens down when exposed to acidic liquids and food. You can easily chew hard almonds but when soaked in pop or cola or apple juice, your teeth don’t stand a chance! Acid is also produced by microscopic bacteria that use up sugars (carbohydrates) in the mouth and actually cause decay. Patients that continuously sip acidic beverages like pop and energy drinks and fruit juices and coffee also show a peculiar type of gumline decay of lower teeth, especially lower back teeth where the liquid stays pooled in the mouth and causes the enamel to break down in curved half-moon crescent shaped areas of demineralisation. See the photo for an example. Typically seen in teenagers who constantly sip pop or juice or energy drinks, this type of decay is also common in truck drivers who have a large double-double next to the gearshift all day long. Apparently the coffee helps them stay alert on long drives, but their teeth pay the price. Another group is hockey players and athletes who sip drinks like Gatorade and Powerade all the time they are training. These athletes seem to show a high rate of decay which can be explained by the high acidity and high sugar content of these popular energy drinks. Acid wear of teeth seems to be a common problem in Mississauga, and we have successfully treated all types of damaged teeth in our office, Applewood Village Dentistry.

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-Dr. Vipul G Shukla January 2012.