What is dental decay?

Dental decay
is a slow gradual disease process caused by repetitive acid attack on teeth, resulting in the destruction of  tooth structure. This acid commonly comes from bacteria in the mouth; which is held onto the tooth surface by plaque. Bacteria basically turns sugar; from things we eat and drink; into acid which then attacks and dissolve teeth. As all teeth have a protective hard outer enamel shell (shown below), it often takes years before this layer is breached. However, once the acid attack penetrates through the enamel and into the inner dentine layer, it is known as “decay” . Progress from this stage onwards is often swift and may only take months to spread and involve the “nerve and blood vessels” of the tooth; commonly known as the “pulp”.