Ways to Prevent Cavities

By May 28, 2014 August 27th, 2015 Cavities, Dental Health, Oral Health
Tooth decay is America’s number one oral health challenge. It’s also the number one chronic childhood illness. Over a quarter of all children under the age of 5 have some form of tooth decay. Over half those aged between 12 – 15 years old have it too.

Those are sobering statistics. Even more so when you consider tooth decay is entirely preventable and easily treatable. As with all medicine, prevention is better than cure. That’s why we have put this post together. To show you five easy ways you can prevent tooth decay from affecting you.

1.    Brush your teeth properly

Proper brushing is essential to remove trapped food, remove bacteria, remove acid and protect your teeth. Use the right toothbrush, the right technique and brush for 2 minutes at least twice daily and you go a long way to preventing tooth decay and cavities.

2.    Floss or water pick daily

Flossing takes a little getting used to but is well worth the effort. Dentists all agree that daily flossing is an essential part of any oral health regimen. Floss can get to the places your brush cannot reach and removes the food bacteria need to produce acid.

3.    Eat a healthy diet

We have spoken before about the importance of a healthy diet and how it relates to oral health. We won’t bore you by going through it all again here, but suffice to say diet is incredibly important for your overall health and wellbeing as well as your oral health.

4.    Visit your dentist regularly

Dentist visits used to be very regimented. Visit once every six months or once a year and that was it unless we needed to see you for treatment. Most dentists’ surgeries will now tailor an appointment schedule to your particular situation.

If you suffer from any oral health issues, have a family history that may cause problems or otherwise need more attention, we often schedule dentist’s visits more often. This offers a much more robust healthcare regimen designed to suit your specific needs.

Those are the 4  best ways we know of preventing tooth cavities. Each works well on their own but work best as part of an overall oral health regimen. Follow them all for the brightest smile and healthiest mouth possible!