Austin Family Dental

What is Causing my Cavities? Specific bacteria  such as Streptococcus mutans cause cavities.  These bacteria are  aerobic  meaning they require oxygen to survive; having a  ​ dry mouth increases the chance for cavities.  Cavity causing bacteria are different than the bacteria that cause gum disease, which lives in an anaerobic environment.  Both of these bacteria can be  passed from person to person.   Plaque  is also known as Biofilm.  A microbial biofilm is a layer of prokaryotic organisms which adhere to a surface and are coated with a polysaccharide layer.  ​The biofilm increases the prokaryotic cells survival through increased defense, availability of nutrients, cellular communication, and the ability to transfer genetic material to each other. A polysaccharide is composed of more than one sugar molecule.  Carbohydrates, Starch, Cellulose, and Glycogen are polysaccharides. How the cavity is formed ​...

Wisdom Teeth Wisdom teeth, also called your third molars can help you with chewing if your jaw is big enough to handle the extra four teeth. Variations in DNA which are known as mutations when humans reproduced around 2.4 million years ago caused their jaws to become smaller and brains become bigger. This mutated genetic information was passed onto offspring because it was a favorable trait. As the brain grew larger and the jaw became smaller, there eventually was no room for wisdom teeth in the new smaller jaw as the favorable trait of a larger brain was passed on. Currently, we have Oral Surgeons to remove wisdom teeth that are impacted or infected. If you are born without your wisdom teeth, you are at an evolutionary advantage. As of now, we use oral surgeons to remove wisdom teeth, but the genetic mutation of no wisdom teeth is a beneficial trait. Cavity on Wisdom Tooth Unable to clean bacteria and plaque off the wisdom teeth, causing a cavity on a wisdom tooth. ...