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Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems in the world. During eating food particles are left behind in our mouths, these particles can develop bacteria (not all of which is necessarily bad). This bacteria forms a film over your teeth and is called plaque. It is the build up of plaque that is the primary cause of tooth decay. The first effect of tooth decay is the development of small holes in your teeth, known as cavities. It becomes difficult to clean inside these cavities and so plaque is able to continue to developing inside the holes, causing more degradation of the tooth.
Different types of bacteria can cause tooth decay in different manners. One common bacteria is lactobacillus, this bacteria is able to demineralise the enamel and dentin of the tooth, eventually causing very serious problems by killing the root of the tooth. Without any form of treatment tooth decay will eventually lead to tooth loss of one or many teeth. The infection can even spread to your jaw bone where treatments become increasingly problematic.
There are a number of preventative measures that are very effective at keeping tooth decay at bay. Your London dentist cannot stress enough the importance of brushing your teeth at least twice a day, this is the best way of stopping tooth decay from beginning at all since it cleans away all the plaque that builds up throughout the day. Also very important is an interdental tooth cleaning, this normally takes the form of flossing between your teeth where plaque can build up beyond the areas a tooth brush can reach.