When a patient does not brush and floss their teeth well enough, or they choose to not use the right technique, it is possible that tooth decay will start to happen. Tooth decay includes progressive damage that will occur to the surface of the teeth and it can eventually work down to the roots, resulting in a cavity that is expensive to fix.
The good news is that there are steps that you can take to help reverse tooth decay with the help of good orthodontic care. Some of the steps that all patients should take with their dentist include:
Brush with a Fluoride Toothpaste
The first step to help avoid cavities in your teeth is to brush with the right kind of toothpaste. The brand is not as important as one critical ingredient: fluoride. Fluoride is a mineral that can react with your teeth to prevent tooth decay. It works by filling in some of the gaps in the enamel of the teeth, making bacterial acid less effective than before.
To keep it simple, fluoride will help to contribute to the re-mineralization process of the tooth. It is able to work for you to prevent tooth decay, as long as you use it regularly and make sure that the tooth decay is not too severe. It is the same substance that your orthodontist will use when you come to their office. Most high-quality toothpaste products will contain fluoride to help make this easier.
Drink Water
Try to avoid drinking too much milk, juice, soda, and other drinks that have carbonation and other sugars inside. These can cause more bacteria to form on the teeth and will bring on the cavities. If you would like to avoid cavities, then. You should rink more water, especially water from the tap.
The reason that this works so well to protect your teeth is that fluoride is present in the tap water for most towns. The more water you drink, the more fluoride you will be able to add to the teeth. Drinking water is a good way to wash bacteria down the throat and into the stomach. This gets the bacteria away from the teeth and out of the body. Water is a great option for flushing your teeth and can prevent food from sticking in the teeth and making cavities more common.
Cut Down on Snacks
Cutting down on the sugar snacks is one of the best things that you can do to help avoid cavities. The more sugar you have in your diet, the harder it is to keep that bacteria off the teeth. And the more bacteria that is on the teeth, the easier it is for it to eat through the teeth and form a cavity.
You do not need to cut out on all sugar, but keeping it to a minimum will help. When you cut down on some of the sugary snacks in your diet, the bacterial that forms in the plaque will not have the fuel they need to produce acid. Without the acid production, the enamel on the teeth will stay intact and not get eaten through.
Brushing Your Teeth
It is important to take your time and properly brush your teeth and use mouthwash to prevent cavities from forming. A top-tier toothbrush and some toothpaste with fluoride will be your best friend with this. Some of the steps that you can take to make sure all your teeth get healthy and bright include:
- Brush your teeth two times a day: Make sure that you also use a fluoride toothpaste when you do this. An electric toothbrush is a good option for this if possible because it will be able to clean the surface of the teeth better than anything else. A manual one will work too if you do not have an electric option.
- Floss when you are done: Your toothbrush can do a good job at taking care of your teeth, but flossing is another option to use when avoiding cavities. Flossing will work to get the food and plaque out from between the teeth so it does not get stuck there and cause issues.
- Finish with some mouthwash: When the brushing and flossing are done, it is time to use some mouthwash. This makes it harder for the plaque to stay near the teeth and create an acid. A good mouthwash is able to sweep away any of the bacteria that is found in the teeth after brushing and flossing.
Doing this two times a day or after a big meal will help make sure that the bacteria is removed and will not cause damage to the teeth. Spend at least two minutes brushing the teeth well to help get all the sides of the teeth and keep them clean.
Visit Your Orthodontist
One of the best ways to prevent cavities and keep the teeth healthy is to visit your dentist regularly. An oral hygiene routine at home is a good start, but your orthodontist will be able to check the teeth for any oral health problems, including tooth decay and cavities.
Most patients will need to visit their dentist bi-annually to get a thorough cleaning. This is also a good time for the dentist to remove some of the bacteria and plaque that may be on the teeth while also checking for major dental issues, including cavities, before they can cause a lot of damage in your mouth.
Taking Care of Your Oral Health
Tooth decay is a problem that can happen without the right oral hygiene routine in place. If you do not take care of your oral hygiene, this tooth decay can easily turn into a cavity that can cause pain and be expensive to fix. With the help of the right orthodontic care team and some of the tips above, you can catch tooth decay early on and prevent some of the issues that happen with a cavity on your teeth and avoid cavities at any stage of life.
