How can tooth decay spread from enamel to dentine and pulp?
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dentistry
The practice of dentistry involves preventing, diagnosing, and treating oral disease, as well as correcting deformities of the jaws, teeth, and oral cavity.
Tooth decay, or caries, begins when bacteria residing in plaque ferment sugars and starches into acids. These acids demineralize the tooth by removing calcium and other minerals, which destroys the enamel—the tooth's hard, inorganic outer layer.12
Once the enamel is breached, the decay progresses into the dentine, the middle layer of the tooth. In this stage, the protein structure of the dentine is broken down through enzymatic action and further bacterial invasion. If left untreated, the decay continues to spread inward, eventually reaching the pulp, the innermost portion of the tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves.12