If you’ve been brushing and flossing and still have a cavity, you could be understandably frustrated. You’ve been doing everything right, so why is this happening? You thought you had control over this area of your life.
To understand what may be the cause of your cavity, you need to understand why cavities occur, how to strengthen them, and the right times to brush.
Why Do We Get Cavities?
The answer to many of these questions has to do with minerals. Our teeth gain their strength because of their mineral content. The surfaces of your teeth have the highest mineral concentration of any substance in your body.
How can such strong, mineral-rich surfaces become damaged—especially if you don’t seem to be doing anything harmful to them? The answer is similar to the way that hard, mineral formations in a cave are damaged: acid.
After you eat starchy foods and eat or drink a lot of sugar, bacteria on your teeth can be stimulated to produce acid. This acid can work to break down the minerals in your teeth. When the acid reaches certain levels, you can lose some of those minerals.
Regaining Minerals in Teeth
It’s actually possible to put minerals back into your teeth. It’s amazing and surprising how it works: minerals like phosphate and calcium are part of your own saliva. When you get done eating, your saliva starts working to rinse damaging particles off of your teeth and add minerals back in.
You can also further protect your teeth by using fluoride toothpaste. This adds the helpful protective mineral fluoride to your saliva, giving it even more power to strengthen your teeth.
Brush Your Teeth at the Best Time of Day
You’re already brushing your teeth twice a day. But there are some easy changes you can make in your schedule to improve how well these sessions work:
- Brush your teeth in the morning before breakfast. Bacteria produce more acid while they’re undisturbed during the night. Clean them away.
- Brush your teeth right before bed at night. This reduces the number of bacteria that can multiply during the night.
If you want to brush your teeth right after you have a meal, wait. Remember that your saliva is working to place more minerals on and in your teeth. Give it 30 minutes to do that work before brushing. In the meantime, you can rinse away particles with a drink of water or by enjoying sugar-free gum.
Call Dr. Rosenfeld for Cavity-Free Teeth
Remember us when you need a family doctor who cares. We can always answer your questions with a friendly attitude, along with cleaning and repairing your teeth using the latest training and techniques. We’re known to be a welcoming dental office. So, call Dr. Rosenfeld now for your next appointment!