Dental caries and plaque. Close-up showing dental caries and plaque formation (left) destroying the lower incisors of a female patient aged 67. Dental

---

Dental caries and plaque. Close-up showing dental caries and plaque formation (left) destroying the lower incisors of a female patient aged 67. Dental caries is the decay and crumbling of the teeth. It is caused by the bacteria in plaque, a substance which covers the surface of unclean teeth. The bacteria break down sugar in the mouth, producing an acid which progressively destroys the teeth. A filling may be used to repair a decayed tooth, but in severe cases, root canal surgery or tooth extraction may be required.

---

Size: 5126px × 3406px
Photo credit: © DR ARMEN TARANYAN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 60s, 67, 67-year-, abnormal, adult, bacterial, body, broken, brown, caries, cavity, close, close-, condition, cracked, damage, damaged, decay, decayed, dental, dentist, dentistry, detail, discolored, discoloured, disease, diseased, disorder, elderly, enamel, endodontic, female, front, gum, healthcare, human, incisor, jaw, medical, medicine, mouth, odontology, older, oral, patient, people, person, plaque, receding, severe, surgery, tartar, teeth, tooth, unhealthy, woman, years