Tooth Decay

Tooth Decay

The breaking down of food into smaller components (digestion) begins from the mouth. And there in the mouth, it is the teeth- with the help of the tongue and cheeks that grinds the food into bits.We all know that already, abi?

You will quite agree with me that tooth decay is one very common disease, especially in the hinterlands where there are relatively epileptic healthcare services.

Modestly speaking, nothing can be more embarrassing than a buccal cavity (mouth) filled with brilliant dark-brown rocks or one that is drained of some teeth due to decay. What the Ibos would euphemistically refer to as okporo korota (main road).

I don’t want to mention the accompanying foul odour. From the word decay, your imagination is earnestly implored.

Okporo korota

 Enough skating around (throws a bottle of Zobo to YoursTruly), can we whip the horse already?

A little exercise!

Get yourself a mirror and open your mouth so that you can see the reflection of your epiglottis in the mirror but be careful so that you don't tear your mouth. Now focus on your teeth. I am sure you can see something that looks like a small valley in each of the tooth? They are called fissures, and if you look further you will see crevices in the fissures, can you see them? Are their dark-brown spots there?

Okay then, we are good to go!

The teeth has an outer covering, called the enamel which is largely composed of hydroxylapartite and calcium phosphate- the minerals that makes it as hard as stone. Beneath it is the dentine. The dentine determines the colour of a tooth but because it is softer than the enamel, it can  decay easily.

After enjoying your chocolates, cookies, candies, pies, cakes (am a sucker for cake), tapioca, okporoko (stock fish) or whatsoever, their leftovers lodge in the fissures and by the time they overstay their welcome, a certain form of bacteria called Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus- found in the mouth- smiles with them to produce lactic acid which wears away the enamel, penetrates the dentine, and consequently create a hollow in the affected tooth. More bacteria joins and the tooth is thoroughly eaten away. You may as well likened this to when a fly discovers a carcass. More flies join abi?

Symptoms

      The onset of teeth decay often begins with not too obvious symptoms because the plaques hide themselves in between the teeth to wreak havoc.  But as it advances, one begins to complain of the following:

• Severe teeth pain
• The affected teeth changes colour
• Loss of sensitivity in the affected teeth
• Bad breath/Halitosis
• Difficulty with chewing food
• The teeth may break off
• Teeth loss

        Prevention 

•  Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
• Gagging your mouth with water after each meal can go a long way to keeping the disease away.
• Minimize the consumption of candies, cakes, sugary biscuits, chocolates, donuts and the likes.They contain high amount of sucrose and that facilitates teeth decay.
• Use dental floss daily to remove food particles between the teeth.
• Don’t allow that dark-brown patch to remain in between your teeth, see a dentist to help you get it off if you can’t remove it yourself.

Treatment

See your dentist

See your dentist

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