Translated from the Greek, the word caries is translated as “rotting”. Currently, there are 400 caries theories in the world. Of course, of them there is one most common and most confirmed in all countries of the world, and we’ll talk about it – this. Its essence is that caries is a process of demineralization of enamel (and then dentin). Demineralization of hard tissues, that is, their destruction, occurs under the action of organic acids – lactic, acetic, pyruvic, citric and others – which are formed in the oral cavity during the breakdown of food carbohydrates. Fermentation does not occur by itself, but under the influence of oral bacteria. That is why constant and high-quality cleaning is so important in the prevention of the disease. Conditionally, a carious process can be imagined as, for example, the effect of an organic acid on a mineral. For example, the effect of acid on marble or other inorganic matter. But the impact is constant, long-term, throughout the life of the patient.
Industrial sugars, refined carbohydrates and fast carbohydrates (but not in the sense of fast carbohydrates in which they are sometimes spoken of, referring to the glycemic index, and carbohydrates that undergo a rapid process of fermentation in the oral cavity due to exposure to salivary amylase) are recognized as cariogenic to a large extent. This fact can no longer be refuted and ignored. For example, they often try to wean children off sweets, but here you need to deal with sweets, for example, honey and dates, natural chocolate, grapes, raisins and similar vegetarian goodies and just what is considered healthy sweets do not have such a cariogenic potential as caramel , industrial sugar, glucose syrup and much, much more, which we would classify as unhealthy sweets.
Everyone understands perfectly well how unhelpful this is not only for weight and adipose tissue (since it will inevitably lead to an increase in fat cells, but we must remember that an adipocyte, a unit of adipose tissue, can increase in size by 40 times!), But also for enamel teeth. Sometimes it is useful to remember about harmful carbohydrates, associate them with the unpleasant moment of weight gain and the acquisition of dental caries. Consumption of the right carbohydrates from natural vegetables and fruits, cereals, etc. has never led to rapid carious processes.
100% of the world’s population suffers from caries. But the moment of intensity is important and how it proceeds in different patients with different dietary characteristics. In the course and intensity of caries, it is customary to distinguish the following factors:
1 – diet (how rich in processed carbohydrates and healthy carbohydrates);
2 – oral hygiene (correctness and intensity of brushing);
3 – genetic factors;
4 – time;
5 – frequency of visits to dentists, of course.
Although the entire population of the planet suffers from caries in their lifetime, we can do everything to keep the frequency and intensity of this process to a minimum. You just need to eliminate the wrong refined carbohydrates if necessary. If you are a raw vegan, vegetarian, or just a vegan, then most likely your diet is fairly balanced or you are at the stage of its normalization. It is difficult to live without sweets, and for some it is impossible at all. But the whole point is that sweets must be correct, then the hard tissues of the teeth will not suffer, the figure will be preserved, and, in addition, there will be a sufficient amount of glucose in the blood.
Proper cleaning should not be neglected and a sufficient amount of solid plant foods should be eaten to promote salivation and self-cleaning of the oral cavity.
Do not neglect going to the dentist, and then the most unpleasant thing that threatens you is superficial and medium caries and a low-intensity carious process in general.
Alina Ovchinnikova, PhD, dentist, surgeon, orthodontist.