Dental Conditions

Acid produced by bacteria dissolving the enamel. Caught early, it may not even need a filling.

A short, sharp jolt from cold or sweet. Usually not a disease in itself but a warning.

Infection collecting at the root tip or in the gum. This is not something to wait out.

Inflammation of the tooth's living tissue. It has a reversible and an irreversible form, and the length of the pain separates them.

Pain from a crack that an X-ray cannot see. The hardest part is the diagnosis.

Loss of enamel to acid directly, without bacteria. It advances by a different mechanism from decay.

Inflammation returning years later in a root-treated tooth. In most cases the tooth can still be saved.

Mostly happens in your sleep, mostly goes unnoticed, and quietly wears the teeth down over years.

When there is no room left in the jaw, the erupting tooth presses on its neighbour and the gum.

Clicking, pain or locking in the jaw. Most cases resolve without surgery.

Saliva is the mouth's natural protection. When it drops, decay, odour and sensitivity all rise together.

Inflammation of the gum flap over a partly erupted tooth. It can worsen quickly.

White patches caused by a fungus. Wipe them away and the red surface beneath shows.

The first stage of gum disease, and the only stage that is fully reversible.

Irreversible loss of the bone that holds the tooth, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

The gum pulls back and exposes the root surface, most often the result of brushing too hard.

An implant does not decay, but the tissue around it can become diseased. The bone loss is irreversible.