I Keep Getting Cavities, Why? Review of the Common Issues and How to Combat Them

If you’re a statistic and wondering why you keep getting cavities, it is worth noting that they could be due to your own oral habits.

Common culprits in cavities include:

* sipping and grazing on anything sugary, acidic or starchy,
* poor oral hygiene,
* smoking,
* not getting enough fluoride, and
* wearing poorly fitting or worn dental devices.

At Marion Smile Center, Dr. Marion and his dynamic team of highly skilled dental hygienists are dedicated to helping our patients achieve healthy, beautiful smiles throughout their lives. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of simple yet effective strategies to help you prevent dental cavities and safeguard your oral health. Check these out:

1.) Make it a habit to brush and floss as often as necessary—and do so properly.

The American Dental Association (ADA) has made the following recommendations for proper brushing and flossing:

• Brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day.
• Get a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush gently. These can help prevent enamel erosion and gum injury. We recommend electric toothbrushes as they clean teeth and gums much better than old-fashioned manual toothbrushes. In fact, scientists have found that people who use electric toothbrushes have less tooth decay than people who brush with regular manual toothbrushes. This 11-year study that concluded electric toothbrushes resulted in 18% less cavities and 22% less gum recession was done by the Oral Health Foundation and completed in 2018.
•  Position your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against your gums. Move your toothbrush back and forth gently in short strokes while making sure you brush the outer inner and chewing surfaces of your teeth, as well as your gums.
• Use the tip of your toothbrush to reach the inside surfaces of your front teeth. Do this with a gentle up-and-down stroke.
• Never forget to brush your tongue. This eliminates the bad bacteria in your mouth and freshens your breath.
• Replace your toothbrush at least every 3-4 months.
• Floss your teeth once a day. The best time to floss is right before bed. Since nighttime is the longest period of time you likely spend not eating or drinking, we can keep the areas between the teeth free from food and bacteria for the entire time that you sleep. Flossing only takes a few minutes. If this sounds like it’s too much, start small and develop a routine that sticks. 

2.) Cut back on sugary and acidic foods and drinks.

Constantly exposing your teeth to acidic, starchy, and sugary foods and drinks can worsen your cavities and increase your risk of developing new ones. It’s not just how much of these foods you consume, it’s how often. For example, every time you take a sip of soda, that is 1 exposure, so sipping throughout the day is exposing your teeth more, making you more susceptible to cavities.

Surprisingly, starchy refined carbohydrates like crackers, pasta, or bread can be just as harmful to your teeth as candy. These carbohydrates can linger in your mouth and will break down into simple sugars. Bacteria will then feed on these sugars, which will produce acid, which causes cavities. After consuming these types of foods, try to brush your teeth or at the very least, rinse your mouth with water.

3.) See Dr. Marion and his hygienists regularly.

Professional Oral Examinations: Seeing Dr. Marion every 6 months for a complete oral examination is highly instrumental in preventing the formation of additional cavities, stopping the existing ones from getting worse, spreading to the adjacent teeth, and getting them out of your mouth altogether. This helps Dr. Marion preserve the structure of your affected tooth, reduce the likelihood of pain, and ultimately eliminate the need for a more invasive treatment—a root canal or tooth extraction.