Root Surface Caries
Caries can affect any surface of the teeth. The most commonly seen caries are found on the crown of a tooth, above the cemento-enamel junction, it is also possible for caries to form on the root surface, below the cemento-enamel junction. Dental root caries has received a great deal of attention in the past few decades. A variety of different patients are at risk for root surface caries. Dentists use several methods of treatment.
Root surface caries are also called cemental caries, cervical caries, or radicular caries. (Wilkins) Root surface caries only involves the roots of teeth. The cementum and dentin located just below the crown of the tooth is involved. No involvement of enamel is seen with root surface caries.
…show more content…
This process is enhanced with the presence of gingival recession.(Hammel)
Clinically, root caries appears as a soft, irregularly shaped lesion, either totally confined to the root surface or also involving the enamel at the cemento-enamel junction. (Flaitz) It is more easily detected on exposed root surfaces. It has been found that 10% to 20% of root caries lesions are found subgingivally, especially at the interproximal region. The most common locations also include exposed roots of the mandibular premolar and molar areas. On a dental radiograph, root surface caries appears as a cupped-out or crater-shaped radiolucency just below the cemento-enamel junction. Early lesions may be difficult to detect on a dental radiograph.(Hassan)
Clinical description is very subjective and is based on color, texture, surface smoothness, depth of the lesion, and distinctiveness of its border. Root caries can be classified as active or inactive. Active lesions are leathery or soft, and inactive or arrested lesions are hard upon touch with an explorer. Root caries can vary in color from black or dark brown to yellowish or light brown.(Wilkins)
Measures that can be taken to prevent root surface caries are just as one would perform to prevent coronal caries. Oral hygiene is most important. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, preferably after each meal. Floss your teeth regularly to remove food particles between your teeth that cannot be removed by ordinary brushing. Because you
The purpose of the case study is to outline the aetiology, pathology, progression and presentation of dental caries and periodontal disease. The patient chosen from the author has periodontal disease and is at high risk of caries.
Eighty percent of untreated caries occur in twenty-five percent of children ages five to seventeen (Dye et al.
Root canals are needed when the dental pulp inside of a tooth becomes infected. This infection has a few different symptoms that should be addressed immediately, if noticed.
The most important cariogenic bacteria are Streptococcus mutans. Other cariogenic bacteria include S. salivarius and S. sanguis as well as various species of Eikenellan and Lactobacillus. Dental caries is a disease of the tooth enamel and the tooth itself, while periodontal disease is a combination of gum swelling and erosion of the ligaments and bone that supports the teeth. Mildest form of periodontal disease is gingivitis, while the most severe form is called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis also known as trench mouth. Poor oral hygiene, unhealthy diet, alcohol and tobacco use may constitute in the development of dental caries and periodontal
The author concluded that with regular periodontal maintenance, removal of root surface accretion for better periodontal tissue attachment was more important than any surgical procedures.
It's important to take care of any problems that occur in your body, especially pertaining to dental health. If you have a root canal, and you let it go without treatment, inflammation will occur. The bone, the gums, and tissue will be affected if the root canal is left untreated, especially for a long period. It's bound to lead to death, although, death isn't that common. You can take antibiotics, but it's not as effective as it could be if you follow through with the root canal procedure. The longer you go without getting it done, the worse that it gets. If you get the procedure, the pain will cease.
Brush at least twice a day, floss once a day and use an antiseptic mouthwash twice a day. Visit your dentist twice a year, more if he or she recommends it.
During your first appointment following your root canal, your dentist will inspect your tooth and make sure that it has healed properly. Then, your dentist will numb the area around your tooth. They are going to have to file down any rough spots on your tooth to prepare it for the crown. After that, your dentist is going to put a putty-like substance over your tooth. You will have to keep your mouth open while this substance dries. This process can take a while, and you may be a little sore from having your mouth worked on.
One of the most difficult areas to diagnose decay is incipient carries on the occlusal surface. Unless they are large they tend not to show on radiographs, and can be hidden under the anatomy of the tooth. Occlusal caries may be confused with staining. Also, the narrow pits and grove of the occlusal surface of posterior teeth may be too small to allow an explorer tip to the base of the grove. The KaVo DIAGNOdent is designed to detect incipient occlusal caries. One of the intended advantages of this is to catch caries early in order to prevent the need for deeper restorations and the removal of excess enamel at a later time (KaVo Dental).
If you are suffering from some of these symptoms, root canal treatment may be the best course of action to improve your oral health. Although we may refer you to
The images pictured above are bite-wing radiographic images. A bite-wing image includes the crown of maxillary and mandibular teeth, interproximal areas, and areas of the crestal bone, which is the coronal portion of the alveolar bone also known as the alveolar crest, on the same image. Bite-wing images usually are used to detect interproximal caries and for the detection of early carious lesions that are not clinically evident. Bite-wing radiographic images are also used to monitor the progression of dental caries, assessing existing restorations, and examining the alveolar crest levels between the teeth. The receptors appear to be placed correctly as they are parallel with the crown of the tooth, also both the first and second molars are
A tooth that has become so severely decayed that the soft pulp at the center is infected can still be saved with a root canal from Vail Valley Dental Care. For this dental procedure, we will remove the infected material from the center of your tooth. We will then treat the remaining tooth with antibacterials to ensure the infection does not return or spread. The hollowed root canals will be filled with a bacteria-resistant resin to further protect the health of your tooth. The top of your tooth will be replaced with a dental crown to restore full function to the once weakened
Untreated dental caries, more even in their advanced stages, frequently causes oral pain and it affects up to seven out of ten children in India and almost one in three adults in Brazil. (9) The Global Burden of Disease Study also showed that oral conditions combined accounted for 15 million DALYs globally, which represents an average of health loss of 224 years per 100,000 people. (8) With these facts in mind, if dental caries still represents a high burden disease, especially in adults, could this mean that people experiencing tooth decay or at least one person they know suffering tooth decay, are looking for dental caries related information on the Web?
There are teeth with questionable or suspicious occlusal surfaces, in which we can notice that there have been changes from the clear sound fissures even without loss of surface and it is dubious to decide whether or not it should be treated as it could be an incipient but not cavitated fissure. A stained fissure means a fissure that is discoloured, brown or black, even an area of white or opaque enamel where its normal translucidency is lost but it has no evidence of surface breakdown (cavitation). Discoloured fissures does not necessary indicate an active caries process and they may represent sounds surfaces (where the discolouration descends from organic material trapped in the fissure) or non-cavitated caries lesions (where the demineralised enamel has been stained and possibly arrested).
Risk assessment is concerned to find the significant factors in individual and further perhaps it could predict the risk level in the community. So the suitable preventive measurement in preventing dental caries could be applied.