subject: The Dentist Office - The Dreaded Cavity [print this page] Since you were only a wee lad or lass, you've been told about the importance of avoiding cavities. You learned about it from your parents, from your school, and from your dentist office. But as we get older, we tend to regard the lessons of youth as somehow less important. We may forget a lot of what we read and heard when we were children. For some issues, this may be okay. You don't necessarily need to remember your third grade classroom rules when you're thirty. But the information you got about cavities is still very much relevant. Here's what you need to know.
Watch Acidic Foods
Most people know that avoiding sugary snacks and drinks is a good way of preventing cavities, but you may not know that acidic foods can be just as bad. In this sense, a lot of drinks can be a double whammy. Citrus juice and soda, for instance, are packed with sugar and acids that can both take a toll on your enamel. Many a dentist office has seen their fair share of patients who have cavities that are a direct result of consuming too much acid in their diet. At the very least, make sure you brush your teeth after eating or drinking anything with high acidic content.
Cavities Can Be Silent
Given enough time, every cavity will make itself more than known to its host. In the early stages, however, many people have no idea that they are harboring a hole in their tooth. This is why it is so important to get to the dentist office on a regular basis for a complete examination. The actual pain of a cavity doesn't begin until the decay has reached a more advanced stage and the damage has reached the nerve within. At this stage, a simple filling may not be enough to solve the problem and a root canal may be necessary.
Cavities Between the Teeth
If you consider using your toothbrush to be the primary goal of a good oral hygiene program and flossing to be secondary, you may be surprised to learn that cavities are more likely to develop between the teeth than at any other point. This is because food has a tendency to get stuck there and only flossing will get it out. Cavities can form anywhere on the tooth and given the chance, they will certainly take the sides of the tooth as well as they will take the front, back, or tops. If you aren't using dental floss, make that your first change in your hygiene routine.
