Five Ways to Prevent and Stop Cavities

There are a few ways to prevent and stop cavities. Here’s what Our Doctors from Family Dental Care in Glen Ellyn, IL have to say. Good dental habits begin in childhood and cavities may be prevented early. Also known as tooth decay, cavities develop when a sticky substance called plaque forms in your teeth and then interacts with starches and sugars from the different foods you eat. Acid is produced from this interaction and attacks your teeth’s enamel. By avoiding sugary snacks and drinks and brushing and flossing immediately after meals, you can easily stop cavities even before they have a chance to develop.

Tooth decay is, in fact, the second leading disease in the U.S. and can be prevented by following some basic guidelines. Alongside brushing your teeth, you should also be aware of how to brush properly using not only the right kind of toothpaste but the right kind of toothbrush as (no extremely hard bristles).

Flossing is also standard operating procedure or SOP because we all know that sometimes, brushing alone isn’t enough to get all the food debris that gets caught between teeth. Here are other solutions for cavity prevention:

• Well-balanced nutrition with wholesome foods prepared with little or no processed sugar. Take note that foods such as potatoes and others which are simple carbohydrates get converted quickly into sugar.

• Visit the dentist twice a year. A majority of cavities can often be detectable only with dental x-rays and the keen eye of a dentist. Regular (as in monthly) teeth cleaning can help you maintain oral hygiene to avoid bacteria to inhabit teeth.

• Consider having dental sealants applied. These are protective coatings meant to shield your teeth against bacteria and subsequent plaque build-up. Although dental sealants are common for children, you can benefit from them as well, especially if you aren’t able to brush and floss immediately after eating.

• Using mouth rinses and mouthwashes have been proven to clinically help in the reduction of plaque. Using one or the other after brushing and flossing will give additional protection to your teeth’s surface and gums against possible bacterial attack.

• If you have to chew confectionery like candy or chocolates or gum, get the sugarless variety. We kid you not when we say that several types of sugarless gum actually prevent the formation of cavities by increasing salivation flow in the mouth.

Instilling Good Dental Habits Early On

Instilling good dental habits in children during their early years can also save you a lot of expenses later on. Limiting the amount of sugar that children ingest is, of course, the number one preventive action that parents can implement.

Here Are Several More

• Don’t leave a bottle filled with milk for young children in their mouths right before they sleep. Milk is made of sugars, remember? Those sugars remain in their mouths for a good number of hours and enable bacteria to encourage the growth of cavities.

• Wipe your baby’s gums after feeding with a soft cloth or brush his or her gums with a soft baby toothbrush regularly prior to his or her getting the first tooth.
• Prevent children from continuous snacking throughout the day on candy and sugary snacks. Sweet and sticky foods get between the teeth and have always been difficult to brush and floss.

• Give your children fluoridated water or filtered water which has a considerable amount of fluoride in it. Using toothpaste with 12-hour protection against bacteria is a good idea as well.

The old adage “prevention is better than cure” is aptly applicable to oral health. When you stop cavities from developing in your children, you are not only saving money but safeguarding them against future medical conditions associated with poor dental health such as rheumatic heart, bad breath, and oral cancer.

Make sure to have regular appointments with your dentist for professional teeth cleaning.