Drink more water. Drinking water, and particularly water with fluoride, is one easy way to help prevent cavities. When you consume sweets, unwanted sugar can be left behind on the teeth. Water will help clean your mouth and prevent the sugar from producing acid that wears away the enamel.
Brush your teeth 30-60 minutes after eating sweets.
Wait at least 30 minutes for saliva to displace some of the acids. If you are unable to brush 30 minutes after, it's a good idea to brush your teeth before consuming sweet or acidic food and to drink a glass of water after you are finished.
And--drinking water really helps your teeth stay health – especially if it's fluoridated. Drinking water with fluoride, is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do to help prevent cavities.
Drinking water while having your favourite sweet treat may give you a bigger sugar spike than what's considered healthy, says researchers.
Once the sugar particles reach your blood, water moves out of your cells and into your blood, to restore balance in your blood. As your cells lose water, they send signals to the brain indicating that they need more water. The result is that you feel the urge to sip on something.
Flush out all that sweet stuff from your system by hydrating ASAP with water or other low-sugar fluids, and foods high in water content. "Drink plenty of water and go for foods like watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries and yogurt," Seaver says.
Once bacteria and decay get through enamel, enough damage has already been done. A cavity is not going to stop once it's started. It will require a filling or some other form of treatment.
The calcium and phosphates in milk, cheese, and other dairy products, help put back minerals your teeth might have lost due to other foods. They also help rebuild tooth enamel.
Within 20 seconds of consuming sugar, it combines with the bacteria hanging out in your mouth to form an acid that starts to damage your teeth. As time goes on, this wears away at the layers in your enamel, eventually resulting in a cavity.
When the sugar is left on your teeth, it causes the acids to not only eats through the enamel, but to often go deeper into other layers of your teeth, and this is what causes cavities.By cutting out sugar, you can stop this process, avoid cavities, and keep that protective enamel around for as long as possible.
Genetics – Believe it or not, some people are more prone to getting cavities due to their genetics. These people are more susceptible to the strain of bacteria that unfortunately causes those pesky cavities. The entire biome of bacteria in each person's mouth can differ greatly.
Studies in the British Medical Journal suggest that a change in diet can actually reverse tooth decay. Easy adjustments can be made to your diet immediately like: Consuming more calcium rich foods (i.e. kale, collards, broccoli rabe and dairy) which can help strengthen your bones and teeth.
A lot of people think that if a cavity doesn't hurt, there's no problem. But that's not true! By the time a cavity hurts, the damage has already been done. Don't wait until it hurts to get it checked out by a professional!
Leaving a cavity unattended is one of the worst things you can do for your dental health. When treated early, small spots of tooth decay require little more than a quick, painless filling — but when ignored, a cavity can turn into a significant problem that costs you more stress, pain and time in the long run.
A common question we receive from children and parents is, “can you brush away a cavity?” Once a cavity is fully formed in the tooth, unfortunately, it's impossible to just improve your brushing and make it go away. However, the early stages of a cavity can be reversed with good brushing habits.
For all the good brushing does, it will not eliminate the cavity. The bottom line is you do not have the power to stop your cavity from growing. Your cavity will gradually expand to the point that it moves into the pulp chamber and spurs pain. If the cavity reaches the pulp of the tooth, it will require a root canal.
Brushing is essential to preventing your cavity from worsening. Brushing will also help prevent the formation of even more cavities. Zero in on the cavity as you brush to eliminate any remaining food particles from your snack or meal. This thorough brushing can help hinder the cavity's progression.
In most cases, by the time you notice the symptoms of tooth decay, it will be too late to reverse the damage with natural methods. You will need to consult your dentist to prevent the damage from spreading to other areas of the tooth.
Avoid sugary foods and extremely hot or cold foods and beverages that can aggravate cavity pain. Brush your teeth carefully: While it may cause more pain at first, it's important to keep food particles out of your teeth as they could cause further damage.
When we eat sweet foods the brain's reward system — called the mesolimbic dopamine system — gets activated. Dopamine is a brain chemical released by neurons and can signal that an event was positive. When the reward system fires, it reinforces behaviours — making it more likely for us to carry out these actions again.
These glucose molecules are then rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream, causing a spike in your blood sugar," explains Dr. Saint Andre. This blood sugar spike, if dramatic enough, is what causes that dreaded sugar hangover.
In general, adults develop an average of three cavities during their lifetimes. This means that the average adult has three or four fillings in their mouth. Some patients end up with ten or more fillings depending on how well they care for their teeth.