Though good oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing helps in preventing cavities, you may still get cavities. The reasons can be many, like the spaces between teeth that easily trap food, consuming too much cavity-causing foods and beverages, avoiding regular professional-level cleanings and checkups, etc.
It's due to eating a lot of sugars and starches and not cleaning your teeth well. When sugars and starches aren't cleaned off your teeth, bacteria quickly begin feeding on them and form plaque. Plaque that stays on your teeth can harden under or above your gum line into tartar (calculus).
It's great that you are brushing conscientiously, but brushing twice a day alone is not enough to prevent cavities. The bristles of a toothbrush can remove a lot of the plaque from the surface of your teeth, but they can't get between your teeth to clean properly.
Even if you brush your teeth twice a day every day, your dentist might still find an area of decay. Take a look at why some people who brush regularly still get cavities and what you can do to prevent this problem. How Long Do You Brush? The brushing action removes debris and sticky plaque from your teeth.
Brushing alone is not enough
If the answer is no, that's usually the reason. Brushing helps remove bits of food and plaque from your teeth, but it doesn't always get the food and bacteria from between them. Most adult cavities form between the teeth. These are called interproximal cavities.
The bottom line is you do not have the power to stop your cavity from growing. Your cavity will gradually expand to the point that it moves into the pulp chamber and spurs pain. If the cavity reaches the pulp of the tooth, it will require a root canal.
Mouthwash freshens bad breath, can help reduce plaque and gingivitis, as well as fight tooth decay and prevent cavities. Mouthwash can really help improve your oral health. Mouthwashes containing fluoride can even help remineralize your teeth.
In general, adults develop an average of three cavities during their lifetimes. This means that the average adult has three or four fillings in their mouth. Some patients end up with ten or more fillings depending on how well they care for their teeth.
Brush and floss – Brushing twice a day and flossing once will go a long way towards prevention! Reduce sugars – Sugars are everywhere, and can include things like coffee with sugar, soda, dried fruit or juice.
People with chronic stress are more prone to tooth decay.
Both of these habits can make you more prone to cavities in the long run. Those who take medications for chronic stress are also often more at risk for dry mouth.
Cavities—Cavities are tiny holes in the hard surface of your teeth. Bacteria and poor dental cleaning can cause cavities, and if left untreated, they can lead to tooth loss.
Older working-age adults 50 to 64 years had the greatest prevalence of decay (96%) in both NHANES cycles. Decay is more prevalent in people who currently smoke compared with those who never or formerly smoked.
So while permanent tooth loss can occur at any age as an adult, significant averages in partial and total tooth loss tend to occur in people aged 50 years old and above.
Among adolescents aged 12 to 19, more than half (57%) have had a cavity in their permanent teeth. Among adults aged 20 and older, about 90% have had at least one cavity.
Kissing is good for your teeth, official! There are many health benefits of kissing – it can prevent tooth decay because it stimulates saliva flow which brings down plaque levels.
And--drinking water really helps your teeth stay health – especially if it's fluoridated. Drinking water with fluoride, is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do to help prevent cavities.
Tap Water. Tap water is a cavity-fighting machine; while sugary drinks leave behind a film of sugar on your teeth for bacteria to feed on, water cleans your mouth with each sip. It flushes out food debris and dilutes the acid produced by the bacteria in your mouth.
The truth is that the only way to get rid of cavities is through proper treatment from a qualified dentist. Although you can “reverse” a cavity by adopting a good oral hygiene routine, the decay and erosion of the tooth are irreversible. You can, however, prevent cavities.
In most cases, by the time you notice the symptoms of tooth decay, it will be too late to reverse the damage with natural methods. You will need to consult your dentist to prevent the damage from spreading to other areas of the tooth.
What Does a Cavity Look Like? While it is usually difficult to see a cavity in its beginning stages, some cavities start with a whitish or chalky appearance on the enamel of your tooth. More serious cases can have a discolored brown or black color. However, most often there are no distinguishable red alerts.
Make it to 94 and you done good. Make it to 94 with all your own teeth intact? You're a record-breaker.