It’s a horrible malady. We know the cause, of most, acids created by bacteria in your mouth. It doesn’t even seem to be that important to researchers. We have much worse diseases but it’s something millions of people have to endure.
In: 3
Two reasons really, we have a cheap and available *treatment* for dental carries (filling) and the mouth is naturally a home to all sorts of organisms. How do you kill the one bad species without the rest, hell how do you even kill off the bad ones? How do you stop them from re-colonizing your mouth? It isn’t feasible to just take a lifetime supply of antibiotics right?
There are attempts to do more, mouthwashes which seed the mouth with beneficial bacteria which out-compete the bad species, but that’s also a hard problem to solve.
And frankly we do have much worse diseases, as you say, and ones that are much harder to prevent with a bit of brushing and flossing.
preventative care is the best remedy…like many diseases/health issues IF you are careful than you can extend your life…just like a car. If you dont keep up with it then it will fail prematurely. Teeth are the same way. It would be very very very hard to ‘cure’ cavities with a pill or shot when you are constantly eating, drinking etc….so we can prevent them with good care (brushing, flossing, watching what you eat and and and…..).
ELI5 – how do you keep your car clean? You wash it everyday, doesn’t have to be with soap but you can wipe down the dust daily to prevent buildup and soap wash it weekly. But even by wiping the dust daily, you won’t get rid of everything. Even with soap you might not get rid of everything. It all depends on how you drive and where you drive it.
Cavities is the same way. It depends on your hygiene. You eat everyday but there’s certain bacteria that may latch on to your food, and you brushing may not get rid of it. It all depends on how you take care of your mouth and what you eat/drink.
We do have a cure for cavities. Get fillings. You no longer have a cavity.
We don’t have a universal “stop all cavities forever” for the same reason we don’t have a universal “stop anyone from ever breaking a bone” – it’s impossible to stop every source of physical damage.
If you avoid sugar and brush/floss regularly, then cavities are quite rare. Unfortunately, most folks eat a **lot** of sugar (it’s in most processed food), and almost nobody is brushing and flossing properly.
So we get cavities.
Scientists are looking into using stem cells to promote growth of dentin which makes up the majority of the tooth. This research may also lead to the repair of gum and bone tissue.
Ref: https://hsdm.harvard.edu/news/researchers-investigate-role-stem-cells-repairing-teeth
I mean, no one’s mentioned it yet, but we have a pretty damn good way to prevent cavities. Put minuscule amounts of fluoride in your mouth wash or tap water, and your mouth becomes highly resistant to cavities forming with virtually no side effects.
Latest Answers