Dental cavities are among the leading dental problems many people of all ages face. They affect children, teenagers, and young and old adults. Cavities are serious because they cause permanent damage to the most solid part of the tooth. Once a tooth is affected, it will not be the same again. Though a dentist can treat and restore the affected tooth’s structure and strength, you will have lost the joy of having a healthy and strong natural tooth after a cavity. Sadly, dental cavities worsen with time/ you could lose your natural tooth to an untreated cavity.
The good news is that dental cavities are preventable. Dentists recommend several strategies you can use at home and with the help of a dentist to keep your natural teeth healthy, strong, and free from decay. The best of these strategies include the following:
Brushing Twice a Day or After Every Meal
The main cause of dental cavities is a failure to maintain clean and healthy teeth. Unclean teeth are perfect breeding grounds for dangerous cavity-causing bacteria. Dentists recommend brushing at least twice daily or after every meal to keep your teeth and mouth clean. That is the best way to keep your teeth free of cavities.
You must carefully clean all the areas inside your mouth to keep your mouth and teeth clean. Pay more attention to the nooks and crooks that are sometimes difficult to reach, as the bacteria can choose to breed in such areas. Ensure you remove all food particles from your mouth.
When you fail to brush your teeth, the bacteria in your mouth combine with stuck food particles to cause an acidic reaction. This reaction results in a buildup on the upper surface of your teeth. The buildup is strong and destructive enough to eat into the enamel of your teeth. If this is left to happen for a while, you will experience dental cavities on one or more of your teeth.
Children and teenagers are the most affected, especially because they do not know the right strategies to use when brushing their teeth. When some parts of your mouth are left uncleaned, the buildup will eventually form on some of your teeth, resulting in cavities.
Ensure you use a soft brush that can easily reach all areas in your mouth. Also, use a recommended fluoride toothpaste to keep your mouth clean.
Rinsing With a Mouthwash
After brushing and flossing your teeth, dentists recommend rinsing with fluoride to keep your mouth clean and free of bad odor and dangerous bacteria. You can use mouthwash daily to protect against dental cavities and bad breath. Mouthwashes are a great way to enjoy fresh breaths every day. They also kill bacteria that cause common oral problems, including dental cavities and halitosis.
Rinsing your mouth can also dislodge stuck food particles in the teeth. This is the technique that helps prevent dental cavities. However, do not substitute mouthwash for regular brushing and flossing. You must practice all these good oral habits to protect your teeth from cavities. Additionally, use mouthwashes consistently and regularly to enjoy the benefits. Rinsing your mouth should be part of your routine to protect it from harmful bacteria.
Eating a Balanced Diet
What you eat and how you eat it significantly determines your oral health. Foods that give you good health will also help improve your oral health. Thus, you must eat a balanced diet to enjoy good overall well-being. Dentists recommend nutritious foods that have added benefits for strong and healthy teeth and gums. Foods that make your body weak could also affect the strength of your teeth, making them more susceptible to dental cavities.
Thus, consider increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables and minimizing your carbohydrate intake. Some of the foods we consider cheap and nutritious are sometimes fattening, unhealthy, and cavity-causing. Examples include candy, chips, and pretzels. These foods remain on your teeth’s surface regardless of how much you brush. Thus, you could get dental cavities even with regular brushing and flossing if you consume unhealthy foods.
Your dentist can provide you with a list of foods you should avoid to keep your teeth from developing cavities. Include all sticky foods on that list, as they are difficult to remove from your teeth after consumption. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables also increase saliva flow in the mouth, which is needed to protect your teeth from decay.
Limit Snacking
Snacking is a common habit that could result in dental cavities. Some people snack between meals, while others survive on snacks throughout the day. Healthy snacks like apples and berries are recommended if you must snack. However, common snacks are usually unhealthy and are some of the leading causes of dental decay.
When you constantly snack on sweetened treats or drinks, you feed the oral bacteria with the fuel needed to release acids that result in calculus and tartar buildup on your teeth and gums. The acid the bacteria releases when it comes into contact with the starch and sugars from your snacks is powerful enough to damage the enamel. These acids weaken the tooth’s structures, making your teeth weak and damaged.
When you limit snacking, you can choose what to consume at any time. A balanced diet will keep you full most of the time, minimizing your need for a snack. It is also advisable to snack wisely to improve your overall well-being and protect your teeth from cavities.
Drinking Fluoridated Water
The water you consume could also cause cavities. In most cases, people drink tap water, which is sometimes untreated. It is advisable only to consume fluoridated water to improve your teeth’s health and strength and protect them from cavities. People who drink bottled water miss out on the benefits of fluoridated water. Fortunately, most water supplies from the government are fluoridated, making the water the best to consume.
Fluoride helps prevent dental cavities. Fluoride is an essential mineral that strengthens your teeth’s enamel, making it less susceptible to damage by dangerous bacteria. Keeping your teeth solid is one way to protect them from cavities. Consuming controlled levels of fluoride is recommended to achieve that. Fluoride will stop cavities from forming on the teeth. It can even rebuild damaged tooth surfaces, restoring natural teeth' overall look and strength.
Thus, you must carefully think about the water you consume. Fluoride is not added to all the water people consume. The public receives fluoridated water as a government way of helping people increase their intake of this essential mineral. If you have been buying untreated bottled water, your dentist can recommend switching to fluoridated water to keep your teeth strong and healthy.
Undergoing Fluoride Treatments
You could talk to your dentist about fluoride treatments if you do not consume enough fluoride to protect your teeth from cavities. People who undergo these treatments do not have access to fluoridated water. While there are many other ways to up your fluoride intake, including using recommended mouthwashes and toothpaste, it could be safer to seek fluoride treatment. That way, you are assured of protecting your teeth from cavities.
Dentists perform fluoride treatments to keep teeth strong and healthy and restore the damaged structure during the early stages of dental decay. This treatment entails fitting fluoride trays over your teeth for a recommended period. Fluoride trays look and fit over your teeth like mouthguards. Once the trays are in place, they will release the minerals to the teeth using the same technique dentists use when whitening or bleaching discolored teeth. The idea is to infuse your teeth with fluoride to strengthen the enamel.
You can undergo fluoride treatment if you are at risk of cavities. Your dentist can also recommend it if you live in an area with a low fluoridated water supply. To keep your teeth from cavities, you must combine fluoride treatments with other strategies, like regular bruising and cleaning.
Using Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are protective plastic coatings dentists apply to chewing surfaces of teeth to seal and protect them from buildups, cavities, and other acidic waste products caused by harmful bacteria. Dentists recommend sealants to people who are at risk of cavities. The sealant protects the sealed teeth from cavities and other associated dental problems.
The chewing surfaces of the back teeth have crannies and nooks that are sometimes difficult to clean with regular brushing and flossing. Food particles will likely remain stuck, even with the best oral hygiene. But you can receive a dental sealant on the teeth at risk of cavities to prevent food from remaining stuck on these chewing surfaces every time you eat. That way, your teeth remain strong and safe from cavities.
After installation, dental sealants can protect your teeth for more than ten years before you need a replacement. During that time, the sealant will fill and protect all the tiny pits and grooves on your teeth from filling up with food particles. The installations are safe, easy, and painless to install. Dentists mostly recommend them for children who develop their first permanent molars at around seven years. When molars are developing, they are at risk of cavities. However, you can have dental sealants at any age if you are at risk of cavities.
Regular Visits to the Dentist
Regular visits to the dentist are some of the ways you can maintain healthy and strong teeth. These visits entail dental examinations, treatments, and recommendations to help you enjoy good oral health and improve your overall well-being. Some oral and dental issues you experience can be treated effectively if diagnosed on time. These include dental cavities.
Your dentists can follow up during these regular visits to ensure you practice good oral hygiene habits. They can also recommend additional habits to keep your teeth from developing cavities. If your dentists notice a cavity onset on one or more of your teeth, they will recommend immediate intervention to treat it once and for good. Your dentist will also give you some tips to prevent cavities in the future.
Some people develop cavities because they lack information on protecting their teeth. Dentists use these visits to educate you on habits that will keep your teeth strong and healthy.
Regular visits to the dentist’s office will help with untreated cavities. An untreated cavity will weaken your entire tooth, resulting in tooth loss. It can also spread to adjacent teeth. Your dentist can treat the cavity in time to save your natural tooth and protect other teeth.
Regular dental visits will also help prevent complications associated with tooth decay. For example, you could experience excruciating pain and sensitivity with dental decay. Your dentist can help you avoid all that by promptly treating the problem.
Reasons to Prevent Cavities
Your natural teeth are strong, functional, and beautiful. They help you chew, bite, and improve your look and feel. You can smile confidently with beautiful and healthy teeth. However, cavities damage your natural teeth' strength, functionality, and look. They affect how you chew, bite, and smile. That is why you must prevent cavities. Cavity-free teeth will remain strong and beautiful for a long time. You will no longer worry about losing your teeth or other problems associated with damaged teeth.
Find a Reliable Dentist Near Me
Dental cavities are serious dental problems that could cause you great pain and tooth loss. Dentists recommend maintaining healthy habits to prevent cavities and protect your teeth and mouth from common oral issues like bad breath and gum disease. However, you can do much more to prevent cavities, including finding a reliable dentist for your entire family and regularly visiting their office.
At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we provide quality, affordable, and reliable dental services for your entire family in Encino. We can help you identify some causes of dental cavities, teach you how to protect your teeth, and help you once you develop a cavity. We also offer quality and effective treatment for dental cavities and other oral and dental issues. Call us at 818-751-5100 for more information about dental cavities and our services.
