Cavity Prevention

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Before one can say how to prevent cavities, let’s take a moment and tell you what they are. In a nutshell, they are holes in teeth due to acid. What is the origin of this acid? Well, the primary source of this tooth-eating acid is bacteria. When bacteria eat the leftover food in our mouth they produce acid. To prevent cavities the first and foremost step is cleaning your teeth of all debris prior to going to sleep; this involves brushing your teeth for a full two minutes (on all surfaces of the teeth) and flossing. Yep, I said flossing. I am a dentist and I hate flossing: it is so slow and boring…..but it works. In my office I get a daily reminder of why I need to do it. Another step can be to reduce the amount of “fun stuff”, i.e. candy, soft drinks, sweet tea, sweet coffee drinks, power drinks, you intake. Not only do these types of “foods” feed the bacteria in your mouth, they also help to create an acidic environment. Finally, a daily rinse with over-the-counter fluoride like ACT or Purple Listerine can help make the teeth less susceptible to decay.