Did you know that anyone with teeth can develop cavities, even babies? Cavities are the decaying of teeth, or holes that form in your teeth. They start out really small and are hard to detect without regular dental checkups. But many of us find ourselves thinking if there is no pain and we can’t see it, then it’s not really there. Unfortunately, it is.
The problem with cavities is they aren’t like the simple cold, they will not just go away on their own or with time. The longer a cavity sits, the bigger it gets. The bigger it gets, the worse the options are for fixing it. When a cavity is small dentists have the ability to fix the tooth with a simple filling, but as it grows so does the amount of dental work.
Letting a cavity sit causes a visible hole in the tooth, tooth sensitivity, tooth pain, black or white staining on your teeth, the destruction of a good part of your tooth, and if it reaches the nerve, an abscess. The treatment starts out with a filling, then as it gets worse a dental crown, a root canal and a crown, and the worst possible solution is an extraction along with other dental work. Although lots of us want to wait as long as possible to go to the dentist, the longer you sit with a cavity, the more expensive the treatments are to fix the increasing pain. The solution is to go to the dentist for regular checkups and follow their advice and these prevention tips.
How to prevent cavities:
- BRUSH YOUR TEETH regularly
- Floss your teeth regularly
- Watch what you eat
- Limit sugary snacks and candy (and when you do eat them, BRUSH YOUR TEETH after)
- Limit sugary drinks and sodas (and when you do drink them, BRUSH YOUR TEETH after)
- Chew sugar-free gum
- Don’t eat anything after you brush your teeth for bed
- Use fluoride
- Fluoride stops bacteria’s ability to make acid
- Fluoride can be found in certain toothpaste, gels, and mouth rinses
- Fluoride can also be found in most cities tap water
- Use Cavity fighting toothpaste
- Fluoride-based
- Children can use fluoride-based toothpaste as soon as they are old enough to spit it out and not swallow the toothpaste
- GO TO THE DENTIST FOR REGULAR CHECKUPS
- Ask your dentist about dental sealants
- Follow your dentist’s advice
Here at Spring Dental we believe in and want what’s best for our patients. We encourage everyone to come in for regular checkups so that we can assure and help you by providing the best, least painful, and most affordable treatment plans. Make sure to brush and take care of ALL your teeth daily!
