Initial caries is understood as a carious lesion that only extends into the dental enamel. It's often called enamel caries. Caries is a bacterial disease and bacteria need nutrients to live and reproduce like all creatures. As long as the bacteria are in the enamel, they rely on the nutrients supplied from outside, so saliva and food rests. As soon as the bacteria reach the dentine they can feed on the proteins of the dentine. If the caries is sealed in the early stage of enamel caries, you can cut the nutrition supply, kill the bacteria and therefore hinder it to spread deeper into the tooth. The sealing is performed using different varnishes. This dental treatment is called a caries sealing. More on that in the video by the same title! Do you want to know why tooth decay appears in the first place? Just watch the video above!

Produced: 05/2011

Source	Version	Author	Publisher
Paradigm shift in cariology - 'The seal is the deal'	2009	Meyer-Lückel	DZZ – Deutsche Zahnärztliche Zeitschrift 64(11): 641-642