cavities

With the holidays come all sorts of opportunities to indulge in cookies, candies, and a whole host of other sugary delights. And while it's tempting to sample them all, it's important to remember that these kinds of foods -- especially those that stick to your teeth -- increase your risk of developing cavities. The goal? To celebrate and enjoy the season while still eating a healthy diet and staying on top of cleaning those pearly whites.

Cavities

Teeth are coated in a thin film of bacteria called plaque. The bacteria in our plaque ferment any sugar from our food and produce acids that can break down tooth structure, causing caries. Caries start when the hard outer layer of enamel that covers healthy teeth becomes soft, forming an actual hole we call a cavity.

Limiting Snacks

Research shows that snacking throughout our day -- especially on sticky foods -- and drinking sugary beverages can both increase our risk for developing cavities, because the amount of time that the teeth are exposed to acid is therefore greatly increased versus three square meals a day.

Choosing Healthy Foods and Drinks

Because sugar fuels cavity-causing caries, it's best to avoid added sugars, or at least do our best to limit sugary snacks and drinks. Sometimes these foods are easy to identify, but sugar can also be a surprisingly hidden ingredient in some foods we eat. Examples of foods with hidden sugars might be some frozen meals, sauces, and breads. Sugar can even be added to some purported "health" foods, like certain yogurt products. It's always a good idea to check food labels to understand what we are eating and how much.

The US Food and Drug Administration advises adults to eat no more than 12 teaspoons of added sugar -- around 200 calories from sugar -- per day. For children younger than 2 years old, no added sugar in the diet is recommended.

It's good to remember that sticky foods are especially hard on our teeth. Gummy candies, even chewable medicines and vitamins, and some bread-like foods like chips and pretzels stick to our teeth and increase our risk for developing cavities.

Better Food Choices This Season

The best things we can eat all year round are a healthy diet comprised of natural, less or un-processed foods, such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy product, and whole grains. Many of these foods contain natural sugar, but not the added sugars we recommend limiting in the same way as the sticky, processed products mentioned above.

Many whole, natural foods also contain fiber and micronutrients that actually protect the teeth, encourage chewing and self-cleansing, are less likely to stick to teeth, and stimulate saliva production, which in turn neutralizes cavity-causing acids.

Caring For Your Teeth

In addition to maintaining a healthy diet this holiday season, you can help prevent tooth decay by taking care of your teeth well at home. Good ways to care for your teeth include brushing twice daily, for 2 minutes each time, with a fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between teeth with floss or a Waterpik, and seeing Dr. Messina and our hygienist Rachel for professional cleanings and oral evaluations.

Making healthy choices in what you eat, drink, and how you care for your teeth can help you protect your dentition against tooth decay. Our team is available to partner with you to improve your oral health and keep your mouth healthy this holiday season and beyond. Give us a call at (303) 666-4260 or stop on by our practice in Louisville, Colorado and it will be our pleasure to care for you!

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We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!

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You’ve probably heard of dental sealants, but you may not know the difference
between a sealant and a filling. Or you may have sealants in your mouth but
might not even know what a great job they are doing for your oral health around the clock! So this month, we’re demystifying the dental sealant and its important role in prevention of tooth decay.

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How Early Cavities Form

All teeth have a coating of bacteria on the surface called plaque. When this
plaque comes in contact with sugars in food or drinks, the bacteria produce
acid that can break down the tooth structure, and causing cavities.

Developing Cavities

Cavities can develop on any natural tooth in the mouth, as early as the first tooth breaks through the gums. Aspects of Western society such as the food we eat, the medication we take, and our oral hygiene at home have all contributed to cavities being a rampant problem in our world.

The large permanent molars (or the “big teeth” in the back of the mouth) are especially prone to developing cavities on the chewing surface, because these chewing surfaces have natural pits and grooves. These surfaces can more easily trap food and plaque, creating a space for cavities to develop.

Preventing Cavities

Brushing your teeth twice per day with a fluoride toothpaste is a good way to reduce the risk of cavities, but the bristles of your brush can’t reach between teeth or deep into the pits and grooves on molars. When we can’t remove everything from pits and grooves, plaque builds up deep inside, creating an environment that is prone to cavity.

So, What Do Sealants Have to Do With It?

A sealant is a flowable resin coating that Dr. Messina or Rachel can paint over pits and grooves in the surfaces of teeth so that deep areas no longer trap plaque. When plaque can’t become trapped deep in the chewing surface of the tooth, cavities are much less likely to form. In fact, sealants have been shown to prevent the incidence of tooth decay in molars by almost 80% in the first 2 years after placement.

Sealants provide a smooth surface and cover the pits and grooves, forming a “shield” to block deep aspects of the tooth chewing surface from the build-up of food and plaque. Well-placed sealants in our practice can offer protection against chewing surface cavities for a number of years.

How Are Sealants Placed?

Before applying the sealant, Dr. Messina or Rachel will clean the chewing surface of the tooth and treat it so that the sealant will stay in place. We then flow a thin layer of sealant material into clean pits and grooves, then use a light to cure the material in place.

Ask Your Dental Team!

When you visit Dr. Messina's practice, you can ask any member of our team about dental sealants and if you might be a good candidate for them. This quick, painless procedure can easily be accomplished after your routine dental cleaning at our practice, and protects your teeth for years to come. Want to know more about sealants? Ask Dr. Messina or our team at your next visit!

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We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!

Fluoride is a good, safe way to protect your teeth. Common sources of fluoride include fluoridated drinking water, toothpaste and mouth rinse, and fluoride treatments when you visit your dentist.

Fluoridated Water

Some water sources have naturally occurring fluoride. To aid in cavity prevention, the level of fluoride in your drinking water should be 0.7 parts fluoride per million parts water. Check into your own water source to see if your town or city monitors and corrects for fluoride levels accordingly.

Bottled water and well water sources may fall short of the fluoride you need, and Dr. Messina may suggest that you use a prescription toothpaste or mouthrinse in this case. To help prevent cavities in children who drink water with low levels of fluoride, some dentists even recommend supplementing with tablets or drops.

But more isn't always better when it comes to fluoride, and it is especially important that children get the right amount — too much fluoride can affect developing teeth, causing them to become discolored. When these teeth come in, they may have white lines or, in more severe cases, brownish pits.

Fluoride Toothpaste and Mouthrinse

One of the easiest ways to keep enamel strong is by caring for your teeth at home. The American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day for 2 full minutes each time, using a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Because young children may not be able to spit toothpaste out, they should use a smaller amount than older children and adults:

• Children 3 years and younger should use a smear of tooth- paste the size of a grain of rice
• Children older than 3 years and adults should use a drop of toothpaste the size of a pea

For someone who needs extra help preventing cavities, they might try using a mouthrinse that contains fluoride. But because mouthrinse is intended to be spit out after rinsing, children younger than 6 years should not use fluoridated mouthrinse.

And sometimes, a person requires more protection than the toothpastes or mouthrinses available over-the-counter can offer. In these cases, Dr. Messina might prescribe a toothpaste or mouthrinse with higher fluoride levels than what is available in your average drug store or supermarket.

Fluoride in the Dental Office

Dr. Messina and Rachel are passionate about helping you maintain oral and overall health, and they are especially passionate about prevention. A common treatment offered in our office for preventing cavities is the application of fluoride varnish at your routine hygiene visit.

Fluoride varnish can be painted on the teeth to help prevent cavities and is often applied to children’s teeth twice per year. Older adults can develop cavities on the roots of their teeth because their gums may pull away from their teeth, and in these cases Rachel may also may paint the roots with varnish.

The Last Word on Fluoride

Fluoride can be a good way to help fight cavities in patients young and old. If you aren't sure whether you're getting the right amount of fluoride in your drinking water and in your home care products, come visit us! We love being your partner in health and welcome the opportunity to discuss anything you'd like.

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We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!