What can you do for tooth decay other than a filling?
I heard that you can oxydise the area (although with limited success)?! What can be done instead of ruining the intergrity of the tooth?
I went to a new dentist and was quite annoyed to find I had a bit of decay on one tooth, as my last dentist had been keeping an eye on it for over a year and suggested things to do prevention wise but didn’t do anything and now the new dentist says I need a filling.
I can;t compain to the old dentist as I have moved to the other side of the world
The structure of teeth are composed of proteins and mineral deposites (calcium apatite). When teeth form the proteins form a scaffold and the calcium crystals start to fill in around the protein scaffold. Bacteria in your mouth (like strep mutans) produce acids which can cause the minerals on your teeth (enamel and dentin) to dissolve. In early cavities, just some of the calcium minerals are dissolved and the protein scaffold remains intact. At this point, there are some things to do to possibly remineralize the tooth (like topical fluoride). However, if the tooth continues to demineralize to the point that the protein scaffold is completely exposed, the protein scaffold collapses and it becomes impossible for the tooth to remineralize. Essentially you have a mush of tooth proteins that becomes a little nest for more and more bacteria to live in. The only way to stop this is to remove it by surgery (cut it out), which is why you go to a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS).