What is a cavity?
Cavities are also called caries.
A cavity is a hole in the enamel of a tooth that can get bigger and bigger.
What are the parts of a tooth?
Crown: Top half of the tooth. It is covered in enamel.
Enamel: Hard white part that covers the top of the tooth.
Dentin: It is between the enamel and cementum. It helps protect the pulp and support the enamel.
Cementum: Hard tissue that covers the root.
Pulp: Soft center of the tooth. It has blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves.
Gums: Soft tissue that covers the jaw and protects the roots.
Roots: Bottom half of the tooth below the gums.
How are cavities made?
When we eat lots of sugar and do not brush our teeth the sugar turns to acid. The acid eats away at the enamel and makes a cavity. It can also eat away at the dentin and cementum.
Acid is made from micro-organisms that process the sugar from the food you eat.
The micro-organisms come from the bacteria in our saliva and come together to make dental biofilm.
Dental biofilm (called dental plaque) can cover our teeth if we do not brush our teeth every day.
What happens if you do not take care of your teeth?
If we do not take care of our teeth every day, we can get many cavities.
Cavities can hurt a lot!
If we have cavities, we can also get an infection in our mouth. An infection is when bad germs enter your body and multiply. Your body will try to fight the germs until it wins. If you do not take care of yourself your body will have a hard time fighting the germs. The germs can make you very sick.
Bad cavities can also make us lose our teeth.
(photo from McCarl Dental Group)
How can we stop cavities?
- Brush our teeth every day
- Use toothpaste that has fluoride
- Floss every day
- Eat less junk food
- Visit the dentist for a check-up
Glossary:
Caries: another name for cavities
Biofilm: Also called dental plaque. It is made of bacteria from your saliva.
Micro-organisms: a group of tiny organisms. We can only see it through a microscope.
Bacteria: an organism made of one cell
Organism: a living thing made of one or more cells
Cell: the smallest thing that can live on its own and make more of its own kind.
Diet: the foods we eat every day
Infection: when bad germs enter your body and multiply. Your body then must fight the bad germs.
Additional Resources:
Kids health: What is a cavity?