"Streptococcus Mutans" - what do we know?

So the question for today is this . . . what the heck is "streptococcus mutans"???

Well . . . it's a bacteria that lives in the mouth . . . specifically on the surface of our teeth and is very difficult to clean off.

And guess what people???

It feeds on the "sugar" and "starches" we eat . . . leading to the formation of cavities. And this bacteria produces an "acid" that breaks down our teeth . . . layer by layer.

So let's better understand . . .

The U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health states . . .

Dental "cavities" are among the most prevalent human diseases . . . second only to the common cold. And that "cavities" are a "chronic" disease that progresses "slowly" destroying our teeth.

Now . . . despite scientific advancements in "cariology" in the past 150 years . . . dental "cavities" remain a serious issue worldwide.

And . . . in the U.S, . . . 42% of all children . . . ages between 2 and 11 . . . have had dental "cavities" in their primary teeth. And 60 to 90% of the adult population has had dental "cavities" or "periodontal" disease.

And the reason for this is . . . "streptococcus mutans"

So why is this bacteria so hard to kill and therefore . . . remove from the mouth???

Well . . . that would be due to it sticking to the pits and fissures on the teeth.

And how does that happen???

Well . . . this bacteria splits the "sucrose" (sugar) in the food we eat and uses one of the sugars to build its protective capsule, which sticks tightly to the tooth. And the other sugar is used to fuel their metabolism to rot the tooth.