Prevention is always the best medicine, and that's certainly true of your oral health. If you never get cavities, you never have to worry about getting fillings - which means doing your best to keep cavities from happening!
Cavities occur when bacteria builds up on your teeth, and start slowly eating through the enamel and tooth material. Almost any food or drink can contribute to this, although some are worse than others.
So let's talk about the most common causes of cavities.
What Causes Cavities?
1 - Not brushing and flossing
Beyond any particular food or drink, the most common cause of cavities is neglect. Your teeth need to be brushed and flossed at least twice a day, to prevent harmful bacteria from building up on their surface. Mouthwash helps as well, although it's less important than brushing and flossing.
Someone who sticks to their oral care routine and does it properly every time is going to be far less likely to get cavities.
2 - Sweets
Sugary candy is basically fuel for bacteria, because bacteria thrives on sugar. Any sweets you eat are going to accelerate the growth and spread of oral bacteria, unless you almost immediately clean your mouth afterward.
If you must eat sweets, make them sugar-free. And in particular, try to avoid chewy sweets like taffy which will almost inevitably leave behind little bits of sugar that stick to your teeth.
3 - Sodas and colas
Besides often being sugary, there's another problem with sodas and colas: they're acidic. Both the carbonation and ingredients in most sodas can actively and directly damage your teeth, by burning through the enamel protecting them. This makes it far easier for bacteria to start eating into the teeth themselves, causing cavities.
4 - Tea and coffee
Sadly, tea and coffee also tend to be acidic, and can cause the same problems as sodas and colas. Although at least they're typically not sugary, so they don't do as much damage. On the other hand, they're more likely to stain your teeth.
In all cases, if you're drinking something that could harm your teeth, try drinking with a straw. That allows the liquid to mostly bypass your teeth, and greatly reduces the damage done.
5 - Not visiting the dentist
It's effectively impossible to clean your own mouth as well as a dentist can. Even if you're doing everything possible to protect your mouth from cavities, you still want a professional cleaning at least once a year.
If you haven't had a checkup lately, schedule an appointment with Plainsboro Dental Care at 609-799-4422 today!