Functioning healthy teeth are often taken for granted. Despite many parent’s best efforts, it can be hard to instill good dental hygiene habits in their children. “Brush twice a day for at least two minutes“, is the popular phrase, but try doing that with a 2, 4, and 6-year-old day in and day out and see how strict you are on those 2 minutes! 

 If you don’t have good dental hygiene habits and don’t visit the dentist, you are at risk of bad breath and cavities. Those surely sound bad but are minimal in terms of costs, discomfort, oral pain, and embarrassment that come later when cavities turn to cracked, chipped, or rotting teeth. No matter your age or if you’re doing your best to teach your kids good dental practices, it is more important than ever. 

Most Modern Diets are Bad for Your Teeth

The average modern Western diet is full of processed foods, refined sugars, high-fat oils, and oftentimes little or no nutritious qualities. Think of fast food, candy, and cookies; what kid or adult doesn’t love these? The problem goes deeper than your waistline or the diabetes epidemic here in the United States. Oral health in regions where diets are full of processed sugars is far worse than in some less-developed nations where the populace eats more natural food. 

Making small changes in your and your children’s diets can make a huge difference in the long-term health of teeth. If you prevent cavities through good dental hygiene before they can form, then you can prevent all the complications and pain that come along with untreated cavities. 

Cavities Can Lead to Rotten Teeth

Cavities are common in those who don’t visit the dentist and don’t brush and floss at least twice a day. There are underlying genetic factors that can leave people with a greater propensity for cavities even with a strict dental regimen. Cavities are permanent damage to the enamel and hard surface of your teeth. They can be caused by a build-up of oral-born bacteria, drinking sugary liquids, snacking regularly before bed, and not cleaning your teeth properly. 

Most cavities can be easily treated with fillings if they are caught early. The first signs of a cavity are:

• discomfort chewing or talking
• temperature sensitivity
• noticeable holes, discoloring, chips

Cavities that are left untreated do a few things: 

• continue to grow larger
• cause greater cracks and chips in the teeth
• create visible tooth damage when speaking or smiling
• reach the pulp of the tooth and expose nerve endings, becoming excruciatingly painful
• difficulty sleeping from oral pain
• if the cavity reaches the root the tooth is nearly lost and a root canal must be performed to eliminate pain and save the little bit of good tooth that is left
• risk of infection due to oral bacteria and abscesses which can become life-threatening
• overall suffering of health
• missing teeth
• mental health issues related to teeth
• require dental implant surgery

Preventing Cavities 

Preventing cavities starts with a good home dental hygiene regimen. Yes, there can be genetic factors that make cavities more likely in some patients, but we can all reduce our cavity risk in a few ways:

• Brush and floss twice a day with fluoride toothpaste 
• Use an ADA (American Dental Association) approved mouth rinse two times a day
• Switch to an electric toothbrush, this makes brushing much easier and can be fun for kids to do, easily getting them to 2 minutes
• reduce or eliminate processed sugars and sugary drinks
• eat more whole foods like vegetables
• drink more water 

Cavity Treatment in Brooklyn, NY

Modern diets can take some of the blame for high rates of cavities but you can prevent this moving forwards. If you have untreated cavities, oral pain, oral sensitivity, or are embarrassed about your teeth, there are lots of different treatment options available including tooth-colored fillings. Hopefully, the cavity hasn’t progressed to the point you need to get a Root Canals in Coney Island NY but if that is the case, we are the #1 trusted dentistry service in the area. 

Proudly serving Kings County residents for over 40 years. We help over 4,000 patients achieve a confident smile each and every year. We live right here where we work and are your neighbors. Call us today and let’s discuss your treatment plan options. 

Call today: (718)-766-8883