Tooth decay (or caries or cavity) is a disease wherein bacterial processes damage hard tooth structure. These tissues progressively break down, producing dental caries (cavities, holes in the teeth). If left untreated, the disease can lead to pain, tooth loss, infection, and, in severe cases, death. 

Here's what you need to know:

How Common Is It?

Today, tooth decay remains one of the most common diseases throughout the world--across all age groups. 

• Tooth decay is the most common long-lasting childhood disease. It is 5 times more common than asthma, and nearly 20% of children between 2 and 4 years of age have cavities.
• By age 17, almost 80 percent of young people have had a cavity.
• More than two-thirds of adults age 35 to 44 years have lost at least one permanent tooth to cavities.
• About 50% of adults age 75 and older who have one or more of their own teeth have had decay in their roots.

What Are the Symptoms?

Tooth decay usually does not cause symptoms until you have a cavity or infected tooth. When this occurs, symptoms include:

• Toothache, which is the most common symptom. An infection or irritation of the tooth pulp usually causes the pain,
• Bad breath or a foul taste in the mouth,
• White, gray, brown, or black spots on the teeth,
• Loose fillings. or
• A broken tooth or a tooth that is sensitive to pressure.

The pain may become worse when you:

• Eat sweets,
• Eat hot or cold foods or drink hot, cold, or acidic liquids, such as citrus drinks,
• Chew food or gum,
• Breathe in cold air, or
• Brush your teeth.

Severe tooth decay may cause a pus-filled sac (abscess) to form in the bone at the base of a tooth. Symptoms of abscess include:

• Fever,
• Swollen glands,
• A swollen jaw, or
• Deep, throbbing pain.

What Causes It?

Tooth decay occurs because of the presence of acids on a tooth's surface. The acids that cause cavity formation are produced by specific types of bacteria that live in dental plaque.  When we consume foods and beverages, the bacteria that cause tooth decay utilize sugars (glucose,sucrose, fructose, lactose, or cooked starches) within minutes to create the acids (especially lactic acid) that cause the tooth decay.

Other factors that cause tooth decay:

Other risk factors include: a) reduced saliva--due to medical conditions or medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants, and stimulants, and/or radiation therapy around the head or neck; and/or b) use of tobacco and smokeless tobacco--which can cause gum recession and lead to tooth decay in the exposed enamel.

Top 10 Things You Can Do To Prevent Tooth Decay

1. Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride-containing toothpaste. Preferably, brush after each meal and especially before going to bed.
2. Clean between your teeth daily with dental floss or interdental cleaners, such as the Oral-B Interdental Brush, Reach Stim-U-Dent, or Sulcabrush.
3. Eat nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacks. Avoid carbohydrates such as candy, pretzels and chips, which can remain on the tooth surface. If sticky foods are eaten, brush your teeth soon afterward.
4. Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral exam.
5. Treat any tooth decay as early as possible to prevent further decay.
6. Check with your dentist about use of supplemental fluoride, which strengthens your teeth.
7. Ask your dentist about dental sealants (a plastic protective coating) applied to the chewing surfaces of your back teeth (molars) to protect them from decay.
8. Drink fluoridated water.At least a pint of fluoridated water each day is needed to protect children from tooth decay.
9. Take Calcium, as found in food such as milk and green vegetables, to protect against dental caries. It has been demonstrated that calcium and fluoride supplements decrease the incidence of dental caries. 
10. Chew gum that contains the sweetener Xylitol--which temporarily retards the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay.

To assist you, you can download the " Top 10 Things You Can Do To Prevent Tooth Decay" which you can print and hang near your bathroom mirror to give yourself and your family a daily reminder of how to take better care of your teeth..

Sources:

Wikipedia.com

WebMD.com

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