There is also something else about the nature of tooth decay that helps in
understanding its prevention. Your body has natural defenses against
cavities. Bacteria in
plaque (the sticky film that adheres to your teeth) take the food you eat and convert it
to acids that attack the surface of your teeth. You may notice that after certain foods,
particularly sweet foods, you can have a sour aftertaste in your mouth. The acid that is
being produced by the bacteria tastes sour. This acid works on the susceptible parts of
your teeth to cause dental caries. However, your saliva has minerals in it that your body uses to
repair the spots attacked by the plaque acid. It is only when the rate of attack exceeds
the rate of repair that you actually get tooth decay.
So, how can you prevent cavities?
1. Brushing helps prevent smooth surface tooth decay. If you remove the plaque from smooth
surfaces right after eating, it halts the acid attack.
2. Flossing similarly helps prevent cavities between the teeth.
3. Fluoride strengthens the teeth to better resist smooth surface
tooth decay and also
between the teeth and it increases the repair rate.
4. Anything that helps stimulate saliva flow also helps combat
cavities. Since saliva has
the repair agents, more saliva means better repair. Also, saliva helps dilute the acids
that attack your teeth and helps wash away the food particles before the bacteria can
digest them. Surprising to some people is that chewing gum is good
for your teeth. It helps clean your teeth and
fight decay. Part of its preventive action comes from the saliva flow it stimulates. Even
sugared gum, if you chew it past when the taste is gone, is healthy for your teeth.
5. But the most powerful weapon you have to limit decay is to limit the frequency of
eating. None of the preventive techniques above act on
the pits and fissures. Also, it is not
possible to clean the teeth fast enough and frequently enough and thoroughly enough to
totally overcome every acid attack you have after every bite of food. The key is to give
your natural mouth chemistry time to repair your teeth after an attack. If you
limit yourself to your three meals and maybe a couple of snacks during the day, and
practice basic oral hygiene, you can pretty well eliminate most
dental caries.
There is also a misconception about the kinds of foods that cause decay. Yes, sweets
cause decay, but any carbohydrates promote it - especially any that stick to
your teeth, such as crackers or pretzels. Raisins cause food particles to stick in the
pits of your teeth and will cause decay. Of candies, caramels are the worst, because they
stick. Also, hard candies that you suck for a long time are
very bad. Chocolate
actually has a decay inhibitor, as does anything with peanuts in it or cheese. Sugared
drinks aren't too bad, either, but if you sip them all day they're terrible because your
saliva doesn't have time between sips to do any repairs. Any sweets that you eat during a
meal have practically no effect on tooth decay because they're all part of one acid attack that
hopefully your body will have time to fully repair before the next snack or meal.
Some people have been told that they have soft teeth. For
my response to this, see our page about
soft teeth. I don't believe there
is any such thing.
Dr. Hall also answers a mother who writes that her
daughter has an acid reflux
problem, and wonders if this is why she gets so many cavities.
If you have braces, the
braces collect food particles and you become particularly susceptible to dental
caries around the braces. Even if you don't get a full-fledged cavity, the first
steps of the tooth decay process creates
white spots around the braces.
When the braces are taken off, these spots will be ugly and will need to be
repaired by a cosmetic dentist. To avoid this, clean
especially well, after every time you eat or snack, while you have braces.
Read what Dr. Hall has to say about
electric toothbrushes.
Read about the loss of enamel from
bulimia.
A lot of people ask about
whitening toothpaste, as almost every
manufacturer these days has whitening claims. Learn the straight scoop here.
Read what Dr. Hall says in his blog posts about
tooth decay, where he
answers questions from visitors.
