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Best Ways to Prevent Cavities

  |   Preventative Dentistry

Excellent oral health begins by taking care of your teeth the right way. Essential techniques of oral hygiene include regular brushing and flossing your teeth. Besides keeping bacteria under control, good oral hygiene has other benefits. They include:

  • Build and create an attractive smile
  • Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
  • Protect your brain cells
  • Reduce the risk of diabetes
  • Prevent gum disease and more

Cavities, also known as tooth decay or caries, are caused by the presence of bacteria in your mouth, not cleaning your teeth properly, and frequently snacking and drinking sugary stuff. 

There are various ways to prevent cavities from occurring. They include:

Properly Brushing Your Teeth

Everyone knows they need to brush their teeth, but a few fail to do it the right way. If you want to prevent cavities, you should invest in learning how to brush your teeth properly. Foremost, brushing your teeth properly can mean doing so at least twice a day.

Secondly, ensure that you use toothpaste that contains fluoride, which helps strengthen the teeth and fights cavities. Brushing your teeth can help prevent plaque which is a primary cause of tooth decay.

Floss Daily

Another excellent way to prevent cavities is flossing daily as it can help to deeply clean in between your teeth. Food debris may get stuck between your teeth, and a regular toothbrush may be ineffective in removing them. Failure to remove the debris thoroughly can lead to cavities.

Use a Mouth Rinse

Rinsing the mouth is an effective way to deal with excess bacteria, especially if you have high cavity risk levels. There are several mouth rinses available with unique ingredients such as fluoride and antimicrobial. These types of mouth rinses help prevent and reduce plaque, ultimately preventing cavities.

Consider Getting Sealants

If you are still unsure how to prevent cavities, you may want to consider sealants. Sealants are a form of protective coating on the biting surface of a tooth. This plastic coating seals grooves that tend to collect food particles. 

This, in return, helps to protect the tooth enamel by shielding against plaque, bacteria, and acid. Though common in children, sealants are also beneficial to adults as they help prevent tooth decay.

Eat Healthy Food

Healthy diets play a significant role in promoting the health of a person. Most importantly, healthy food can help promote the health of your teeth. Therefore, it would be best to cut the habit of indulging in sugary and acidic drinks and eating sugary snacks. 

Instead, focus on drinking water to prevent plaque build-up and eat lots of fruits and vegetables for healthy and more robust teeth.

Regular Dental Visits

Preventative dentistry is perhaps one of the best ways to prevent cavities. It includes regularly examining your teeth to avoid the risk of developing cavities, gum disease, and other dental issues. 

Most cavities can get detected in their early stages by visiting the dentist regularly. Therefore, it is vital to have regular dental health checks to prevent cavities through professional cleaning and oral exams such as x-rays.

Residents of Lehi, Utah, can visit the nearest dental clinic for further advice and consultation on preventing cavities.