Читать книгу Applied Oral Physiology - Robin Wilding - Страница 14

Plaque is an aggregate of bacteria in a sticky matrix which forms on the surface of enamel. Acid which has been formed as a product of bacterial metabolism may dissolve the surface enamel. If the surface breaks down, it may form a visible defect in the enamel which under normal light appears as a white patch. Early enamel caries seen under polarized light reveals four distinct zones of mineralization (▶ Fig. 2.5). The outer surface zone is well mineralized by replacement ions from plaque and saliva. However, the body of the lesion is poorly mineralized. Deeper to the body of the lesion, a darker zone represents some remineralization, while the deepest zone is yet again demineralized. These zones of demineralization and remineralization illustrate the dynamic series of events which are occurring in the early lesion. Caries is not simply a process of continued demineralization.