All About Cavities 4

Preventing Cavities

Do you or your family members get cavities often? Dental research has found out that certain factors can affect your risk of tooth decay. These factors include:

* The current number of decayed or filled teeth
* Your fluoride exposure
* Family history of decay
* How well you take care of your teeth
* The amount of saliva and the balance of minerals, enzymes and buffering agents it contains
* How often and what types of foods you eat (especially carbohydrates)

Ask your dentist about the best ways to reduce your risks and limit dental decay.

To prevent your teeth from decaying, you can do two things:

* Strengthen your teeth's defenses with fluoride, sealants and agents that contain calcium and phosphate ions.
* Reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth.

Fluoride penetrates into teeth. It strengthens them by replacing minerals that acid has destroyed. The benefits of fluoride to teeth were first discovered in the 1930s. Dentists started to notice that people who drank water that naturally contained fluoride had less tooth decay. In 1945, communities started to add fluoride to water supplies. Adding fluoride to water systems has been the most successful cavity prevention method to date.

In the early 1960s, fluoride also began to be added to toothpaste. This also had a major impact on cavity prevention. Now almost all toothpastes contain fluoride. Everyone should brush with a fluoride toothpaste every day. Dental offices sometimes recommend higher levels of fluoride in toothpastes, gels and mouth rinses for both children and adults.

More recently, agents containing calcium and phosphate have been developed. MI Paste and MI Paste Plus both contain Recaldent (the calcium-phosphate ingredient). Your dentist can apply them to your teeth. Recaldent also also can be found in chewing gum (some Trident products) and toothpaste. These agents help prevent and reverse early decay that has not yet led to a cavity.

Sealants are protective coatings placed over the tops of the back teeth — molars and premolars. They block bacteria and acids from sticking in the tiny grooves on the chewing surfaces of these teeth. Sealants can be placed in adults and children. Children can have sealants on their baby molars, and also on the permanent molars once they come in. Dentists can put sealants on molars with signs of early decay, as long as the decay hasn't broken through the enamel.

You can never get rid of all the bacteria in your mouth. But you can take steps to control bacteria:

* Brush twice a day.
* Floss daily.
* Reduce the number of times each day that you consume fermentable carbohydrates.

Some prescription mouthwashes (those that contain chlorhexidine) reduce bacteria in your mouth. This can help prevent decay. Chewing sugarless gums, especially those with xylitol, can help reduce bacteria levels and increase the flow of saliva.

Most importantly, visit your dentist regularly. Then the dentist can find any decay early, when it can be treated and reversed.