What is arrested caries?

Arrested caries are areas of decay that have stopped progressing and are inactive, according to the JADA article. This decay is usually limited to areas of the teeth where plaque hasn’t built up.

What can cause arrested caries?

The major factors involved in dental caries are fermentable carbohydrates, salivary parameters and acidogenic bacteria. Antibacterial agents, fluoride from extrinsic sources and diet have been employed in arresting dental caries [4].

How do you know if you are arrested for caries?

They can be whitish, yellowish or darkened in colour but tend to be shiny or glossy, they are located farther away from the gingival margin, they feel hard and less rough. Arrested caries are dark discolored inactive caries, and require no restorative treatment unless they affect form, function, or esthetics.

Can caries in dentin be arrested?

Unlike other fluoride-based caries preventive agents, silver diamine fluoride (SDF) can simultaneously prevent and arrest coronal and root dentine caries. The profound clinical success of SDF has drawn many clinicians and researchers to study the mechanism of SDF in arresting dentine caries.

Can arrested caries become active again?

Caries lesions can be active or arrested. Active lesions exhibit evidence of progression or change over time, while arrested lesions do not. Thus, the only way to determine with certainty whether a lesion is active is to follow it over time and observe its changes.

Can arrested cavities become active?

After the bleaching of the arrested caries, the surface becomes rough which may lead to plaque accumulation and further may turn it into active lesions.

What happens if you leave caries?

If a cavity grows big enough, it will hollow out your tooth and cause it to crack or even cause tooth loss. You’ll need a root canal. Untreated cavities will eventually reach the pulp of your tooth and its nerves will become exposed. When this occurs, you will be in for some severe pain.

How do you know if a cavity is active?

If you feel chips, cracks or holes with your tongue or you can see them, chances are good you have a cavity that needs to be fixed. Dark Areas. If you notice a darkened tooth or a darkened area on a tooth, see your dentist. You could have active decay in the tooth.

How fast does caries progress?

Most of the information on lesion behaviour and rates of progression of caries have been obtained from studies conducted in the United Kingdom, the United States and the Scandinavian countries. 5-11 These studies estimate that it takes approximately 3–4 years for a lesion to progress through enamel into dentine.

Do arrested cavities need treatment?

Arrested caries usually don’t require surgical treatment, unless they pose a problem for tooth function. If the area of decay appears dark and concerns you aesthetically, such as if it appears in the front of the mouth, then you may consider cosmetic treatments like bleaching.

Do dentists lie about cavities?

The answer is not always. Unfortunately, a cavity can be deceptive. It can hide and be obscured by old fillings, location, or just not be obvious by eye or X-ray. Many times I see a small cavity in a tooth that I think will be small and find after drilling that it is much, much bigger than originally thought.

Can you brush away a cavity?

So you can slow decay down and maybe even stop it. But once bacteria and decay get through that enamel, the damage is done. “Once that bacteria gets so far into the tooth that you can’t brush it away, it’s not going to get better, Harms says. “Cavities don’t go away once they start.