How can cavities cause death?

Medical Video: Detroit, MI Tooth Infection Causes Brush With Death

Cavities are still the most common problem in Indonesia. Even quoted by Detikcom, according to drg. Sri Angky Soekanto, DDS, PhD., Dental health practitioner and oral biologist at the University of Indonesia, that cavities are the highest dental health problems in Indonesia. How did it happen? Still according to drg. Sri Angky Soekanto, DDS, PhD, awareness of the importance of oral hygiene is still very minimal, even though education has been tried to spread. In recent years, oral hygiene education programs have been carried out to schools. Schools are chosen because habits need to be applied as early as possible. No wonder, too, if we also often find advertisements where parents persuade their children to brush their teeth.

Building awareness is not easy, maybe one of the causes is not being aware of or ignorance of the effects of cavities. Often, cavities are associated with various diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, problems with pregnancy, respiratory infections, and cancer.

Important facts about cavities

The following are things you need to know about cavities, if you are still reluctant to routinely brush your teeth, you should immediately change this habit:

If not treated properly, cavities can cause infection in the upper teeth of the back, and this infection can spread to the back sinuses of the eye. If so, bacteria will enter the brain and can cause death.
Cavities are caused by bacteria that produce acid which gnaw teeth, causing holes in the teeth. These holes make you experience pain, infection, and loss of teeth.
Teeth have three layers; dentin (middle layer), enamel (outer layer), pulp (the middle part of the tooth consisting of nerves and blood vessels). The more layers that are attacked by bacteria, the worse the damage caused.
Plaques that form on the teeth and gums contain many bacteria, but can be controlled by brushing your teeth properly.
The bacteria will eat sugar from the food we eat, then he will release acid which will attack the teeth about twenty minutes after we eat. Enamel is the first layer to be destroyed by acids from these bacteria.
Saliva aka saliva was able to neutralize acid in the mouth. In the case of cavities, according to drg. Sri Angky Soekanto, DDS, PhD, lack of saliva causes bacteria to accumulate levels so that acidity in the mouth becomes high.

Why can cavities cause various diseases to death?

Cavities will be marked by discoloration of the teeth, you can recognize them with black, gray or brown stains - in the form of lines or dots that will eventually widen. When not treated for a long time, the lining pulp will become infected and then form an abscess around the bone of the tooth. If so, it will cause pain and fever in patients.

If left untreated, tooth abscesses will spread into tissue space, swelling also occurs on the face and skin. Tooth abscesses also cause infection of space tissue and can cause shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and death. Cases of cavities that continue to die are rare, but not impossible. This occurs when the infection from the cavities spreads to the brain.

In addition, cavities have a relationship with heart disease. The closest explanation is cavities can cause gum problems. Here researchers found that gum pain increases the risk of heart disease. They also argue that a worsening heart condition can also be caused by inflammation caused by problems periodontal (gum disease). Similarly, strokes. Problems with oral infections were found in patients cerebrovascular ischemia - a condition in which not enough blood flow is carried to the brain, which triggers an ischemic stroke. Both of these diseases can cause death.

Cavities also cause various diseases. One of them is Rheumatoid - a long-lasting autoimmune disorder that has an impact on joint pain. Patients with this disease must remove the abscess teeth because removing infected tissue can help regain the health of the patient. Likewise with intestinal disease (gastro intestinal), oral infections can be the trigger because you constantly swallow pus from the gums and teeth.

How do you treat cavities?

You should routinely check dental health every six months. If your tooth hole has enlarged not only in the form of a line, usually the doctor will patch it. The doctor will drill a part of your tooth with a hole. Then, the hole will be filled with safe material such as a mixture of silver, gold, porcelain, or composite resin. Don't underestimate cavities, because besides being sick, not treating it means letting the infection happen.

How do you prevent cavities?

You've often heard that prevention is better than cure, here are the habits you must change to avoid cavities:

Always routinely brush your teeth, at least twice a day, in the morning and before bed. Use toothpaste containing fluoride.
Don't eat snacks before bed. If you don't brush your teeth properly, foods that are left at night are very risky to make your teeth hollow.
Avoid foods that contain lots of sugar. The more acid produced by bacteria when you consume a lot of sugar.

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