Caries

Tooth decay, caries or also called dental caries is a chronic and destructive process that affects the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel, dentin and cementum). Tooth decay is probably the simplest and most common dental disease. It also appears to be the beginning of an irreversible destruction of the teeth, for this reason, the development of this disease must be stopped in its initial phase.

Any untreated caries can lead to serious infections of the gums and bones underneath, affecting their role in maintaining the tooth. These infections can get worse and turn into a dental abscess (a collection of pus that causes severe pain, swelling in the affected area, fever, and general malaise). Tooth abscess cannot be cured with drugs or natural methods; the tooth is generally not restored and the only solution is dental surgery – an extraction.

Many patients ignore tooth decay until they have completely lost the tooth and need to carry out an implant placement procedure (an effective solution, but more expensive and complicated than a simple dental treatment).