How to Stop Cavities?
Cavities, or tooth decay, is another rare dental illness with which many people, including children, often struggle. They exist when bacteria invade the outermost layer of the teeth, known as the enamel, and bring about caries. Further, they include cavities, toothaches, and, in the worst-case scenario, the complications that may result from an infection. However, cavities can be prevented from forming or getting worse as long as some habits are incorporated and proper care is taken. In this blog, we will guide you through how to prevent cavities within the simplest, most actionable steps to put into practice. From instructions for prevention to techniques for preventing a small cavity from spreading, it has all the necessary information.
Table of Contents
Understanding Cavities: What Are They?
Cavities are dental caries, or simply the holes in the teeth that result from the bacteria. If food remained on the teeth for some period, it changed into acid if it contained sugar or starch. This acid corrodes the enamel and wears it out to allow the formation of cavities on the surface of the teeth. As a result, they cause pain and infections, and in severe cases, you may end up losing your teeth.
Cavities: How Do They Develop?
The formation of cavities comprises three phases, which are:
- Plaque Formation: Plaque is another layer that forms on the surfaces of your teeth. It develops into a hard, firm layer of bacteria.
- Acid Production: Whenever you take foods that are rich in sugar or starch, the bacteria that form plaque will release acids.
- Enamel Damage: The acid dissolves and subdues your tooth enamel, and when it does that, it leaves holes, or what we refer to as cavities.
As for how cavities form, well knowing that can help prevent them fairly easily by changing some daily routines.
Ways to Stop Cavities from Forming
It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this cannot be truer than in the case of cavity diseases. The following are many simple yet effective ways to stop cavities from developing:
- Brush Your Teeth Regularly
Nevertheless, one of the simplest ways of avoiding cavities is brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth for a recommended 2 times a day, after waking up in the morning and before going to bed.
- Use Fluoride Toothpaste: Fluoride helps build up the enamel and ward off bacteria.
- Brush for Two Minutes: It is recommended that you should spend not less than two minutes brushing your teeth to cover every part of the mouth.
- Replace Your Toothbrush Regularly: Replace your toothbrush every three months or when the bristles are non-functional.
Brushing your teeth helps to remove food particles as well as bacteria. In turn, it minimizes the chances of the formation of plaque as well as cavities.
- Floss Daily
This is a very common technique that is usually considered a minor procedure, but without flossing, one can develop cavities. It also assists in cleaning those regions in between your teeth that a brush cannot reach.
- Reach Tight Spaces: This is because flossing makes it easier to eliminate plaque and food particles that may have been left in between the teeth.
- Prevent Gum Disease: It is worth noting that daily flossing will help you avoid gum diseases that may also lead to tooth decay.
Adopt the culture of flossing your teeth regularly so that you can keep cavities from attacking your teeth.
Healthy Eating Habits to Stop Cavities
Every meal you take plays a crucial role, especially in the health of your teeth. Some foods cause tooth decay, and others promote oral health. Here they are:
- Limit Sugary & Acidic Foods
Consumption of foods that are high in sugar and acid is a leading cause of tooth decay. These create conditions in which bacteria generate acid, which negatively impacts the enamel of the teeth.
- Watch Out for Sugary Drinks: Sweetened beverages such as soda, sports drinks, and even fruit juices contain a lot of sugar.
- Avoid Sugary Snacks: These include sweets such as candies, cakes, and cookies since they are rich sources of sugar and can lead to tooth decay.
- Limit Acidic Foods: Oranges, lemons, citrus fruits, vinegar, and other foods can cause damage to the enamel if consumed frequently.
To prevent cavities, reduce the intake of sugary and acidic foods in order not to encourage the formation of cavities.
- Eat Calcium-Rich Foods
Teeth are some of the key requirements needed in the human body, and calcium is important as it strengthens teeth. It also means that you can strengthen the tooth enamel and prevent cavities if you introduce calcium-containing varieties into your diet.
- Dairy Products: Calcium-rich foods include milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Leafy Greens: Spinach and kale also contain a medium quantity of calcium in them.
Consuming such foods increases the density of teeth, thus making them harder to wear out by decay.
Dental Hygiene Practices for Cavity Prevention
Aside from brushing and flossing, below are a few more habits that can help you stop cavities in their tracks:
- Use Mouthwash
Mouthwash is useful for areas that the toothbrush and dental floss could not reach in some cases. It helps remove leftover food and bacteria.
- Choose a Fluoride Mouthwash: The fluoride gels aid in the rebuilding of the protective enamel surface of your teeth as well as offer protection from cavities.
- Rinse After Eating: Use mouthwash after a meal to prevent bacteria from sticking to the teeth.
Utilizing mouthwash can also be a part of the daily dental routine and helps to protect the teeth even more.
- Chew Sugar-Free Gum
If you chew sugar-free gum, the flow of saliva is likely to increase, thereby lowering the chances of cavities forming. Saliva aids in rinsing off the food particles out of your mouth and acting as a buffer to the acid in your mouth.
- Look for Xylitol Gum: Xylitol, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring sweetener that has proven to lower bacterial content in the mouth.
- Chew After Meals: For those times when you are unable to brush your teeth, chewing gum after meals will suffice for the cleaning function.
One of the simplest ways to maintain our teeth in good health during the day is by chewing sugarless gum.
- Regular Dental Checkups
To practice good dental hygiene, you need to see a dentist. Tooth scaling and polishings can also find cavities, and before they progress any further, professional treatment can be sought.
- Clean Every Six Months: Anyone who wants to clean their teeth and avoid cavities and other dental problems should go for a dental cleaning at least twice per year.
- Early Detection: In particular, small cavities are visible to dentists or can be diagnosed early enough before developing into severe ones.
Cavity prevention and hygiene maintenance call for regular dental visits to a dentist.
Treating Small Cavities Early
If you have a small cavity, you should treat it immediately to avoid developing a big one. The ways are:
- Fluoride Treatments
While in the initial form, little cavities do not seem to be a major problem. How? Fluoride treatment may help to remineralize the affected enamel.
- Topical Application: Your dentist may paint a fluoride varnish or gel on the affected tooth, too.
- Regular Use: Dental fluorides and good use of toothpaste and even mouthwash can also act to slow the process.
Early identification of cavities will help one avoid getting worse, such that they require extensive treatment methods.
- Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are coatings that the dentists paint on the pits and grooves of the back teeth. Specifically, they work as a shield against bacteria and acid.
- Preventative Measure: Most people advise using sealants on children, but adults can be helped by the sealants as well.
- Long-Lasting Protection: Sealants can last several years before one needs another treatment, and all this while they protect the teeth from cavities.
It can be used as a recommendation for people looking to prevent cavities with the use of sealants.
Final Thoughts
Prevention of cavities on the teeth is much better than seeking a remedy for them when they are formed on the teeth. With regular hygienic practice, a proper diet, and routine checkups with the dentist, you will be able to prevent tooth decay and cavities. Prevention, they say, is always better than cure, especially as it relates to our dental health. If you follow these measures, your teeth will remain healthy. Plus, you’ll never have to endure the pain of aching teeth and sensitivity to cold food and drinks—for the rest of your life!
