Cavities usually sneak up on everyone unexpectedly. Suddenly you start wincing while drinking a glass of cold water after a day of eating normally. The feeling itself is not unexpected, and cavities are formed quite slowly over several months. In order to find them on time, you need to go for a routine dental checkup and cleaning.
How Cavities Actually Form
The bacteria present in our mouth consume sugars and starches that create acids. This process results in the deterioration of the enamel layer of the tooth that forms the cavity.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every five Americans within the age bracket of twenty to sixty-four years does not treat cavities in their mouth.
Normally, people do not have cavities after eating one piece of food but by following certain habits. Therefore, cavities can be prevented at an early stage by eliminating those habits and proper dental checkup and cleaning.
Habits You Can Adopt Today That Will Help Stop Cavities From Forming
The following are simple, cheap, and not overly complex habits that you can try in your lifestyle. Following these daily habits along with timely dental checkup and cleaning will make sure that you never get to suffer from dental cavities.
Brush two times for two minutes
Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Also, make sure that you give the recommended two minutes for brushing your teeth.
Floss every day
Using floss once daily because your toothbrush will never be able to reach the small areas in between your teeth. Floss picks are equally effective to dental floss, and consistency is more important than technique.
Watch your snacking pattern
Keep track of the way you snack; both the food choices and their frequency. Snacking over a longer period of time means having food in your mouth and creating an acidic environment in it constantly, while snacking in one sitting may put less strain on your teeth.
Ask about sealants
Talk to your dentist about the use of sealants for your molars. They are responsible for most of the chewing action taking place during the day. It causes deeper grooves that make it difficult to clean them even after a thorough brushing procedure.
Drink water throughout the day
Drinking water throughout the day will rinse off food particles in your mouth. Water, being the universal solvent, neutralizes the acidic environment inside your mouth and prevents your teeth from decay.
The Importance of Regular Check-Up and Cleaning
Once cavities start causing pain, they are already in a much more developed form. It is through regular dental checkup and cleaning that one can help catch the decay in an early stage, sometimes before any problem occurs.
With the help of digital X-ray images, your dentist can locate the spots between your teeth that were hidden from you while brushing them. Further, cleaning your teeth regularly ensures that the plaque accumulated on them gets cleaned.
Good daily habits will help you reduce your risks, but do not guarantee you full protection from any dental problem. A regular check-up once every six months is a perfect way of detecting problems in time and preventing them from getting worse. If you have already felt any pain or discomfort, just waiting will most probably not solve it. At that point, it’s usually time to consider emergency dental care in Atlanta instead of waiting.
Our experienced dental team is proud to serve patients from the following nearby communities. Whether you need routine dental care or want to enhance your smile, we’re here to help:
We are committed to providing exceptional dental care and helping patients throughout these communities achieve and maintain healthy, confident smiles.
Conclusion
Cavity prevention, however, hinges on the consistent combination of proper oral hygiene at home along with regular dental care. Elegant Smiles is committed to helping you out in both areas, no matter when you feel ready for our services. If there is pain now, you will be glad to know that there is emergency dental care in Atlanta.
FAQs
1. What is the real cause of a cavity?
The bacteria that reside in your mouth use sugar and generate acid that corrodes the enamel of your teeth, and in time creates a small opening in it. That erosion eventually creates a small hole, and the whole process happens gradually, not all at once.
2. How often do I really need a checkup and cleaning?
Most individuals require a dental checkup and cleaning every six months without fail. This schedule allows you to diagnose and address decay while it is still in the early stages and manageable.
3. Can a cavity be reversed once it starts?
In the very early stages, before a cavity forms and the enamel just begins to demineralize, fluoride may be able to reverse the situation. However, once the cavity has formed, you require professional intervention.
4. Are there any warning signs I should not ignore?
Toothache, temperature sensitivity, and discoloration are some warning signs to take into account promptly. When the pain starts feeling quite severe and comes suddenly, a visit to emergency dental care in Atlanta will be a much better choice.
5. Are dental sealants really useful?
Indeed, dental sealants do help, especially those which are placed in the pits and fissures on molars. In fact, their use considerably reduces the likelihood of tooth decay exactly in those areas which are most often neglected during brushing.
Author
Dr. Craig McKie
Bio
Dr. Craig McKie is a dentist at Elegant Smiles in Atlanta where he works as a general dentist at the clinic. After completing his studies from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Dr. McKie joined as a dentist after working as a teacher of language. He applies the same teaching philosophy to dentistry too.
2882 N. Druid Hills Rd Suite A
Atlanta, GA 30329
Phone: 404-634-4224
Email: staff@dentalatl.com
