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Tooth decay generally develops as a result of a bacterial infection of your teeth. This is usually caused by poor oral hygiene.

In this article:

What is tooth decay?   

Diagnosis   

Advice & Support

Symptoms   

Treatment   

Causes   

How Chemist Online can help   

What is tooth decay?
Tooth decay is common throughout the UK with over half the population developing the condition at some point in their lives.

People of all ages can suffer from tooth decay, with signs of childhood decay being evident as people visit their dentist in adulthood. With the increasing popularity of fizzy drinks and other sugar-based products among Britain’s youth, it is perhaps not surprising that the vast majority of tooth decay sufferers are children or teenagers.

Symptoms
Symptoms of tooth decay include:

Toothache

Tooth sensitivity that makes you wince whenever you eat or drink something cold or hot

Holes and crevices in your teeth

Discoloured teeth, where tiny spots have developed as a result of the decay

Tooth abscesses

Mouth infection

Gum pain

Jaw ache   

A build up of plaque or tartar around the upper and lower teeth

bad breath (halitosis)

Causes
Causes of tooth decay can include:

Poor oral hygiene

Smoking

A high carbohydrate diet

Eating too many sweet things

Drinking too many fizzy drinks

Passive smoking (the involuntary inhalation of smoke, when tobacco smoke permeates your environment) – this is often a cause of tooth decay in children and teenagers

Abnormally low production of saliva (usually due to taking prescribed medications)

GORD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)

Diagnosis
A confirmed diagnosis of tooth decay will be made by your dentist through a physical examination of your mouth.

Treatment
Treatments for tooth decay can include:

Good oral hygiene advice with an emphasis on regular brushing of teeth with fluoride toothpaste, mouthwashing as part of your everyday routine, and flossing – to prevent a build-up of tartar and plaque and to flush out any trapped tiny morsels of food around your teeth and gums

Special fluoride treatments, such as: gels, foam or liquid solutions – to clean up the affected area(s)

Reparation of the damaged teeth through fillings and crowns

Root canal treatment – now a relatively painless procedure for getting to the core area of the tooth decay and replacing the pulp there with an artificial option

Tooth extraction – surgical removal of the offending tooth or teeth, and then the replacement of these with artificial implants

How Chemist Online can help
Through this website we have a range of dental care products available to buy, such as
Sensodyne ProNamel Daily Toothpaste which is specially formulated for people with sensitive teeth to help protect against acid wear and tooth decay. We can also offer you the Colgate Extra Clean Toothbrush which is soft on gums and is one of the recommended brands from dentists worldwide.

As we saw in the Symptoms section above, many people with tooth decay and other dental problems also develop bad breath (halitosis). We have a range of products available which can help relieve the symptoms of bad breath such as Aquafresh Mouthwash Extreme Clean which is a purifying mouthwash with a multi-active formula to help significantly freshen breath.

We can also recommend Listerine Coolmint Mouthwash and Colgate Max Fresh Cooling Crystals which are both specially formulated to kill the germs that cause bad breath, plaque, and gum disease.


www.chemistonline.co.uk


Advice & Support
Department of Health
Customer Services Centre
Dept. of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NS
Tel: 020 7210 4850
Website: www.dh.gov.uk

And for bad breath:
Online forum for bad breath sufferers


This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.