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Dental caries is a common oral disease, which can lead to cavities and a host of other dental problems without treatment. Historically, dental caries were largely ignored. Cavities were filled, and when new ones formed, they were filled. The process continued until the tooth structure was too badly damaged for a filling. Many dental offices […]

Dental fillings repair cavities but don’t address the underlying cause. Cavities are a symptom of dental caries, a type of oral bacterial infection. It is a prevalent condition across all age groups. For many people, it is a chronic disease. Dr. Mark Cruz, of Dana Point, focuses on helping patients achieve and maintain optimal oral […]

What is decay? This may seem like a rather simple question. Decay, cavities, and caries are all terms for the same thing, and it is something with which most people are very familiar. Unfortunately, many patients and dentists alike have been conditioned by an outdated way of thinking. A cavity is a hole in a […]

CAMBRA, means “Caries Management by Risk Assessment.” It is a technique used by a dentist to determine a patients’ risk for dental caries. Dental caries are the cavities or tooth decay that destroys teeth. Tooth decay is an infectious process that is caused by bacteria that is present in the mouth. Certain patients have a […]

In the past it was thought that dental caries, or cavities, were the result of poor oral hygiene. While improper care of the teeth can lead to decay, it is not the only cause. Caries can be caused by many other conditions as well. Certain medications can change the pH in the mouth or cause […]

If you’ve ever had a cavity, you have experienced dental caries. Dental caries, which is typically dubbed as “cavities” or “tooth decay,” is when the breakdown of dental enamel happens due to acid and demineralization that occurs on a tooth due to poor hygiene or excessive amounts of bacteria in the mouth. In recent research, […]

Acid reflux, or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) can wreak havoc on your teeth. While you might not immediately think of GERD as being a reason for poor oral health, it may help if you fully understand what happens with GERD. Reflux of food and gastric acid is prevented by 2 high-pressure zones in the esophagus […]

Perhaps you are dealing with this scenario–you brush your teeth after every meal, floss at least once a day, and you are still experiencing cavities and tooth decay. Even after following all the “rules,” you still manage to suffer from cavities in your teeth. What’s going on? How do you figure out the cause for […]

What are the Benefits of a CAMBRA Evaluation? If you are experiencing tooth decay and cavities even after following your dentist’s instructions on great oral hygiene, you may have something else working against you that you didn’t even know about. Dental caries is what causes tooth decay and cavities in your teeth, and are not […]

Dental caries is another way to say cavities or tooth decay. This decay occurs when acid and demineralization breaks down the enamel of a tooth. This problem is not always caused by poor hygiene. As a matter of fact, there are some individuals who follow their dentist’s instructions strictly and still have dental caries. In […]

The current understanding and professional consensus regarding dental caries, or “tooth decay,” is that it represents an infectious process via a biofilm composed of various bacteria and bacterial bio-products that break teeth down. Once the teeth are significantly affected by this process–which may occur with or without pain – a restoration such as a filling, […]

Dental caries, which are essentially “cavities,” is a serious form of decay that can damage the structure and integrity of your teeth. In some cases, it can be so severe that a filling will not be able to save the tooth, and it must be entirely extracted in order to save the other teeth from […]