Sugar plays a significant role in tooth decay and enamel destruction. The mouth contains a great number and wide variety of bacteria, which coats the surface of the mouth. Some intraoral bacteria form lactic acid, which decreases the pH in the mouth. This is when the hydroxylapatite crystals of enamel demineralize. When that happens, it allows a greater bacterial invasion to sink deeper into the tooth. Tooth morphology shows that the most common place for dental caries to develop is in the deep grooves, pits, and fissures of enamel. This is because these places are impossible to reach with a toothbrush and let the bacteria live there. As the enamel continues to demineralize, it becomes unable to prevent the takeover of bacteria, and then the underlying dentin becomes affected too. When dentin is destroyed by decay, the enamel can no longer compensate for its brittleness and breaks away from the tooth easily.

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