No one likes going to their routine dental visit and hearing the Dentist say "You have a CAVITY". Cavities (Also known as tooth decay) are your teeth's worse enemy. If left untreated they "grow" and destroy more tooth structure, cause pain and may even cause tooth loss. So today we decided to share with you a list of 5 tips to help prevent tooth decay and avoid your Dentist from saying the "D" word.
Here are 5 Tips to Help You Prevent Cavities:
1. BRUSH and FLOSS your teeth twice a day: You're probably not surprised to see this on the list or you're wondering why this OBVIOUS tip is even on here, but we can't emphasize enough the importance of flossing your teeth daily! Brushing and flossing helps remove the bacteria that sits on our teeth and is responsible for causing tooth decay. If you didn't know, brushing only cleans about 60% of the tooth's surfaces, can you guess what cleans the remaining 40%? Flossing! So do yourself a favor and use that floss to clean the surfaces in between your teeth.
2. Reduce the amount of SUGAR and CARBOHYDRATES that you consume. It may also not come as a surprise that consuming less sugar = less cavities, but did you know that foods such as potato chips, cookies, bread and cereal are considered fermentable carbohydrates and are responsible for causing tooth decay? As mentioned in one of our previous posts carbohydrates are digested by certain bacteria in our mouth and produce lactic acid which causes tooth decay, therefore consuming less of these tasty treats can help reduce the incidence of tooth decay.
3. Avoid CARBONATED drinks: Even if you're drinking "plain" sparkling water these drinks are still capable of weakening your enamel, making your teeth more susceptible to tooth decay. According to our friends over at Delta Dental "the carbon dioxide gas in these drinks turns into carbonic acids which weakens the enamel." Of course, sparkling water is less damaging to your teeth than cola since it doesn't (typically) contain any sugar or phosphoric acid, but it's still not 100% tooth-friendly.
4. Drink more WATER: Drinking water throughout the day helps wash away food particles that could be digested the cavity-causing bacteria and it also helps dilute the acidic environment in our mouth from snacking and drinking acids drinks throughout the day. So don't forget to bring with you a water flask so you can drink water throughout the day, it will help prevent decay and it's good for your body.
If you dislike drinking water then at the very least you should be rinsing your mouth with tap water after snacking or drinking any acidic beverage.
5. Use FLUORIDATED dental products. Using fluoridated toothpaste when brushing twice a day and mouth wash before going to bed also helps prevent decay. If you haven't already check out our previous blog on what is Fluoride and how it helps prevent decay. In short, Fluoride strengthens the tooth by creating a "protective barrier" and making it more resistant to acid attacks.
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