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10 Reasons You’re Getting Cavities
Unfortunately, there are plenty of ways we can put our teeth at risk for cavities every single day. Below are the top ten methods and culprits to avoid!
Poor Oral Hygiene: To have good oral hygiene you should be brushing your teeth regularly, flossing regularly, brushing your tongue, and using mouth wash. Brushing and flossing teeth should be done at least twice a day – if not after every meal. Doing these things will greatly decrease your risk of getting cavities!
Overbrushing: Most people overbrush, hoping to get the chore done faster. What they don’t realize is that toothbrush bristles can do quite a bit of damage by cutting away enamel.
Deep Teeth Crevices: Bacteria and plaque can easily build within deep tooth crevices. Dental sealants are typically used to prevent tooth decay in patients with deep tooth crevices. However, dental sealants are only safe for uninfected teeth.
Poor Nutrition: Foods that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, and acid are the best way to avoid tooth decay due to poor nutrition. Keep a healthy diet!
Sugary Foods: Bacteria feeds off sugar and begins to coat your teeth in damaging acid. When we think of sugar, we often think of candy, but there is sugar in a lot of different foods, which is why it’s recommended that you brush your teeth after each meal.
Acidic Foods and Drinks: Acid is found in a variety of foods. Unlike sugar that causes bacteria to coat your teeth with acid, acidic foods and drinks can damage your teeth immediately.
Dry Mouth: Saliva helps prevent the growth of plaque. Individuals with conditions that create dry mouth can produce more plaque causing tooth decay. Dry mouth may be caused by prescription medications, genetics, or by medical conditions such as Diabetes.
Tooth Grinding: About 10% of adults and 15% of kids grind their teeth. Teeth grinding typically occurs when individuals are asleep or when they are stressed. Teeth grinding strips away the outer layer of tooth enamel causing tooth decay. Tooth grinding can be treated with “night guard” wear.
Genetics: Just as you inherit everything else from your family, you also inherit deep tooth crevices and enamel issues, both of which can lead to cavities.
Age: There are many reasons that cavities become more common with age. Some prescriptions that people take as they become older can cause dry mouth, which can make cavity prevention difficult. In addition, the effects of negligent oral hygiene don’t happen instantly; they occur over a period of time, so it’s no surprise that the negative results would begin to show more and more with age.