Ongoing Balance
Preventive strategies enhance protective factors and reduce pathologic factors. Disease can be halted and early lesions remineralized.
Caries & Demineralization
- Caries is a dynamic process involving many protective factors and pathologic factors.
- Teeth undergo cycles of demineralization and remineralization.
- To help prevent or reverse the caries process and tip the balance towards "no caries," we can:
- Delay the colonization of pathogenic bacteria by providing preventive care and treatment for mothers.
- Limit demineralization by decreasing the frequency of dietary carbohydrate consumption.
- Make teeth more resistant to acid through the use of fluoride.
- Enhance remineralization through the use of fluoride systemically (water and oral supplements) or topically (toothpaste and varnish).
Courtesy of Featherstone JD, 2004