Dental Cambra Laguna Niguel – What are Dental Caries?
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, there has been more speculation as to the
reason for dental caries. In fact, researchers are finding that there
are other factors than just poor hygiene involved in developing dental
caries. Research shows that the pH levels in your saliva can affect
your chances for dental caries, and that high pH levels can happen for a
variety of reasons, including medications that the patient may be on,
and can cause an increase or decrease in salivary flow.
Dental caries can be handled with proper dental care and a CAMBRA
evaluation with a dentist. CAMBRA stands for “Caries Management by Risk
Assessment.” This is when a dentist goes through a number of tests in
order to determine your risk for cavities and dental caries. This may
require a thorough evaluation, which may even include saliva testing to
check pH levels and acidity of your saliva. The higher the acid levels
of your saliva, the more likely you are to develop dental caries
regardless of your oral hygiene habits.
If you are following your dentist’s instructions on dental hygiene
and are continually experiencing dental caries, you may have a problem
with high pH levels in your saliva, or are experiencing a side effect of
medications that you may be on. It is essential that you go through a
CAMBRA evaluation with your dentist to determine your risk levels of
continuing to develop cavities that may affect your dental health and
integrity. Contact Dr. Cruz today to schedule a CAMBRA evaluation as a
favor to your dental future!
