It has often been seen that people do not pay enough attention to their dental health. Taking care of your oral health is very important; but most of us do not realize it, until we come across the issue of oral cavities. Visiting the dentist on regular basis can be quite a tough task, because doing so would affect your regular schedule. Plus, you will end up spending a lot of money on getting the cavities filled by the dentist. So, it is better to follow the rule and tips that can prevent the formation of cavities in your teeth.
How do the cavities form?
When you do not take proper care of your tooth, it starts decaying. It happens when we don’t clean our teeth properly. There are various kinds of bacteria present in our mouth, and one of them is the cavity causing bacteria. This type of bacteria has the ability to transform sugar into acid.
So, when we do not clean our teeth properly, the foods (containing sugar) stuck in and between them are slowly converted into acid, which in turn damage the enamel of our teeth. This is how cavities are formed. So, if you want to protect your teeth from cavity, there are certain preventive measures you can take. Some of them are mentioned below.
Preventive measures you can take to keep cavity away
- Brush and floss: If you want to protect your teeth and gums from any kind of oral health issues, it is important to brush and floss your teeth on daily basis. Like the dentists recommend, it is important to brush your teeth twice in a day. Make sure the toothpaste you are using contains fluoride. Apart from brushing, it is also recommended to floss your teeth twice a day, particularly after dinner. There are many regions where the toothbrush cannot reach, and for such areas, flossing is a good method. It will help you deal with plaque.
- Rinse your mouth: Some people do not rinse their mouth with water post lunch or dinner. It is true that you cannot brush your teeth every single time you eat something; however, you can certainly rinse your mouth or at least drink water. Doing so will bring down the acidic level inside your mouth, and it will also remove the food particles stuck between your teeth.
- Eat a balanced and healthy diet: Yes, you can keep cavities at bay by maintaining a healthy diet. When you eat a lot of foods that are made from refined carbohydrates (such as biscuits, breads, and cakes) then it increases the chances of tooth decay. Likewise, sticky foods like chocolates and candies are also quite bad for your teeth, because they easily get stick in the grooves and pits of your teeth. But, if you consume fruits and vegetables on regular basis, it will help you fight against cavity.
- Stay away from frequent snacking: It is important to keep in mind that frequent eating can be quite bad for the health of your teeth. It is not the quantity of food that matters; but, the frequency does. When you eat quite frequently, your mouth remains acidic most of the times, which in turn increases the speed of enamel damage. So, if you want to avoid that, make sure you remove snacks and cold drinks from your regular diet.
- Visit your dentist: It is not necessary that you must visit a dentist only after some dental issue has popped up. Even for regular checkups of your teeth and gums, you can visit your dentist after every 6 months. In this way, if there are any early signs of cavity, the dentist will be able to fix it as early as possible. Plus, the dentists know how to get rid of the other dental issues.
- Go for sealants: Another good way to protect your teeth from cavities is the method of sealing. You can ask your dentist to place sealants on your teeth. The purpose of sealant is to add an extra layer of protection to your teeth. Applying this protective coating to your teeth is an easy process.
- Fluoride treatment: When you drink fluoridated water on regular basis then it slows down the process of tooth decay. In case you do not have access to fluoridated water, you can go for the fluoride toothpaste. Even your dentist can apply fluoride on the infected parts of your teeth.
- Use a good quality mouth rinse: You might be thinking what the need of mouth rinse is when we already do brushing and flossing. Well, brushing and flossing is quite ineffective when it comes to targeting the bad bacteria hiding in the inaccessible regions of your mouth. By rinsing your mouth, you can do away with the cavity causing bacteria, which in turn will keep your oral health in good condition.
- Sugar-free chewing gum: When you chew sugarless gum for twenty minutes per day, the production of saliva in your mouth actually prevents the formation of cavities.
So, those were some of the preventive measures you can keep in mind. Including these ideas in your list of oral healthcare will surely keep your teeth and gums in good condition. If you want to find more info on this subject then you should definitely visit a reliable and experienced dentist in your town. You will surely get a lot of benefits.