Sugar, Bacteria and Acid
Oral bacteria ferment sugars and refined carbs into acid, which dissolves enamel minerals during repeated daily acid attacks.
Tooth decay is a bacterial process. Specific oral bacteria, primarily Streptococcus mutans, feed on sugars and fermentable carbohydrates left on the teeth and produce acids as a byproduct. These acids lower the pH at the tooth surface and dissolve calcium and phosphate from enamel, a process called demineralization. With every snack or sugary drink, the mouth can spend 20 to 40 minutes in this acid-attack window.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90 percent of adults in the United States have had a cavity in their permanent teeth, making decay the most common chronic disease across the lifespan. Saliva, fluoride and good home care normally remineralize enamel between meals, but when acid exposure becomes constant, the balance tips toward damage.
Once enamel is breached, decay moves into the softer dentin layer underneath, where it can spread quickly toward the nerve. Catching it early with regular comprehensive dental exams and digital imaging is the difference between a small filling and a much larger restoration.
