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Dental Cavities And Periodontal Disease

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In my opinion, I believe that three most important social issues in dentistry today are the high rates of dental cavities and periodontal disease in which are major causes of tooth loss. Worldwide majority of school children and most adults have dental cavities. Dental cavities, also known as tooth decay, or caries are the result bacteria in your mouth that then turns into acids. The bacteria, acids, food and other debris combine to form plaque. The plaque sticks to the teeth and begins to dissolve the teeth creating the holes that we call cavities. Dental cavities can cause pain and discomfort. Cavities are bad because they can damage your teeth and even cause you to lose your teeth.
Periodontal disease is the infection and inflammation of tissues that support your teeth. Many adults have some sort of form of the disease. Periodontal disease can ange from gum inflammation to a serious disease that’s causes damage to the tissues and even bone that support the teeth and can cause teeth to be lost. Like cavities whatever is in our mouth turns into acid, and causes build up knowns as plaque. Plaque …show more content…

When a tooth is lost, it lacks the stimulation to the surrounding bone that result in a decrease in the tooth’s density and dimension. Meaning there is a loss of width and height of the bone; like the jaw. When teeth are lost the facial aging, process is more rapid. A decrease in face height occurs because of the bone loss when teeth are lost. This results in many facial changes such as a decrease in the angle next to the lips and deepening of the vertical lines of the lip creating a harsher appearance. As bone loss progresses the chin rotates forward making one look unhappy with their mouth at rest. Another effect is lower intake of foods due to trouble chewing. This reduces the nutritional intake and can cause several more health problems like illness, debilitation and a shortened life

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