Causes of Rotten Teeth

A rotten tooth occurs when decay goes unmonitored and destroys a large portion of the tooth. Decay occurs when bacteria in your mouth use fermenting carbohydrates, such as sugar, to produce acid that eats away at teeth. Over time, the acid can form holes in the tooth and make it weak, discolored and sensitive.

Poor Dental Care

• Poor dental habits and lack of adequate care are common causes of tooth decay. Brushing teeth at least twice a day may not be enough if you rush through the process. Poor brushing leaves bacteria and food particles in your mouth that create plaque and rotten teeth. If you don't floss, large food particles wedged between your teeth result in concentrated pockets of decay.

Poor Health

• Generally, poor health can hinder your body's ability to do many things, including heal itself. Poor health due to medication, medical treatment, poor diet, smoking or substance abuse can damage your teeth. Results can include receding gums that expose more tooth to decay, lack of minerals for tooth repair, acidic saliva wearing away enamel and infected pockets in gum tissue.

Lack of Saliva

• A lack of saliva production, or dry mouth, is more than an inconvenience. The flow of saliva in your mouth helps wash away bacteria, acids and food particles that cause decay. The moisture also helps keep your gums wet and healthy so that they protect your teeth, and more importantly your roots, from decay.

Excess Acid

• Constant exposure to strong acid is bad for your teeth, especially the erosive acids found in the stomach. Conditions that cause stomach acid to coat your teeth can cause tooth decay, including bulimia and heartburn. In addition to its erosive properties, stomach acid changes the saliva levels in your mouth. Less saliva means less acid rinses from the mouth.

  Carbonation is another acidic substance that can contribute to tooth decay. The carbonic acid in any carbonated drink, from diet soda to champagne, changes the pH of your mouth. Sipping carbonated beverages throughout the day keep your saliva levels low and your acid levels high. Over the long term, the high acid levels erode your teeth and can cause problems with gums.

Sweeteners

• Sweet ingredients, from honey to granulated sugar, cause serious rotting around the entire mouth. The bacteria that create plaque feast on your sweetened saliva and spread the resulting acids to every exposed inch of every tooth. Obvious sweets, such as candy, and things you forget contain sugar, like white bread, all affect your teeth. Frequent ingestion of sweet items results in high acid levels in your mouth and steady decay.