Cavities, also known as caries, are among the most common dental problems. Fortunately, there is much you can do yourself to reduce the risk of cavities.
Brushing well is important, but preventing cavities involves more than just a toothbrush. Fluoride, your eating and drinking habits, the frequency with which your teeth come into contact with sugars, and your personal susceptibility to caries also play a role.
In this article, we explain how cavities develop and what you can do daily to protect your teeth as effectively as possible.
What is a cavity?
A cavity does not develop overnight.
A layer of dental plaque containing bacteria constantly forms on your teeth. When these bacteria process sugars from food and drink, acids are produced. These acids can extract minerals from the tooth surface. This is called demineralization.
Your saliva then helps the tooth surface to recover. Fluoride supports this recovery process and makes the tooth surface more resistant to acid attacks.
When the balance shifts toward mineral loss too often over a long period, caries can eventually develop.
Can you still stop a starting cavity?
In an early stage, caries can sometimes be slowed down or brought to a standstill without immediate drilling.
When the tooth surface has not yet actually collapsed, improved oral hygiene, fluoride, and adjustments to eating and drinking habits can help bring the process under control. Fluoride can promote the remineralization of early enamel lesions.
Once a real cavity has formed, restoration with a filling may be necessary.
Therefore, it is valuable to detect caries early.
1. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
One of the most important measures against cavities is carefully brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
The WHO recommends brushing twice daily with fluoride-containing toothpaste as a key preventive measure against caries.
While brushing, you remove dental plaque and simultaneously apply fluoride to the teeth.
Take the time to reach all surfaces of the teeth. Do not forget the back molars and the transition between teeth and gums.
An electric toothbrush can be a useful tool, but a good and consistent brushing technique remains the most important factor.
2. Clean between your teeth as well
A toothbrush alone does not reach every space between the teeth equally well.
Depending on your teeth, additional cleaning with tools such as interdental brushes may be necessary. These allow you to remove plaque in places that are difficult for a toothbrush to reach.
Which method and size are suitable varies per person. Your dentist or dental hygienist can assess and demonstrate this.
3. Do not only focus on how much sugar you eat
Sugar plays a major role in the development of caries. Bacteria in dental plaque convert sugars into acids that contribute to the demineralization of the tooth surface.
Therefore, it is wise to look beyond just candy.
Soft drinks, fruit juices, sweetened coffee or tea, cookies, honey, and various other products can also contain free sugars.
The WHO advises limiting the consumption of free sugars to reduce the risk of caries, among other things.
4. Limit the number of eating and drinking moments
In addition to what you eat and drink, your daily pattern is also important.
After consuming products with fermentable carbohydrates, bacteria can produce acids. When you eat or drink sugary beverages repeatedly throughout the day, the teeth are subjected to such acid attacks over and over again.
Therefore, try not to snack constantly or sip on sugary drinks.
Give your mouth a rest between eating and drinking moments.
5. Choose water as your daily thirst quencher
Water contains no sugar and does not cause caries through sugar consumption.
In contrast, soft drinks and many other sugary beverages contain free sugars. Additionally, acidic drinks can cause another problem: dental erosion, where acids can directly attack the tooth surface.
Water is therefore a simple and sensible choice as a daily thirst quencher. The WHO also identifies water as the preferred beverage for the prevention of oral diseases.
6. Have your teeth checked regularly
A starting caries process usually does not cause pain. If you wait until a tooth starts to hurt, the problem may already be advanced.
During a check-up, the dentist can look for areas where caries easily develops, such as between teeth, around existing restorations, and in the grooves of molars.
When indicated, X-rays can be taken to assess areas that are not fully visible during a standard inspection.
How often a check-up is advisable varies per person. Someone with few dental problems may have a different check-up interval than someone who regularly develops new caries.
7. Extra fluoride for an increased risk of cavities
For most people, daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste forms the foundation.
In cases of an increased caries risk, a dentist may advise additional preventive measures. Which approach is suitable depends, among other things, on your age, oral health, and the risk of new caries.
Additional professional fluoride treatment can be part of such a preventive approach in certain situations. The recent WHO guideline on caries also addresses fluoride treatments and other preventive/minimally invasive interventions.
Only use products with a different or higher fluoride content when they are suitable for your specific situation.
8. Sealants can provide extra protection for molars
Particularly in children and adolescents, the deep grooves in newly erupted permanent molars can be difficult to keep clean.
In certain situations, the dentist can seal these grooves with a thin protective material. This is called sealing.
This ensures that deep grooves are better protected against food debris and bacteria. Sealing is not automatically necessary for every molar; the dentist assesses the individual caries risk and the shape and condition of the molar.
Why does one person get cavities faster than another?
Two people can brush similarly and yet have a different risk of caries.
The development of cavities is influenced by multiple factors. These include the amount of dental plaque, eating and drinking habits, exposure to fluoride, saliva, the shape and position of teeth, and previous caries.
A dry mouth can also increase the risk, as saliva has an important protective function.
Therefore, a single standard piece of advice does not work for everyone.
Why do I still get cavities even though I brush well?
We hear this regularly.
Brushing well is important, but it is only one part of caries prevention.
If, for example, you consume many sugary products throughout the day, cannot properly clean certain hard-to-reach areas, or suffer from a dry mouth, new problems can still arise.
In such a situation, it is more useful to investigate together why the caries continues to develop rather than simply advising you to brush even harder.
What if you have a cavity after all?
Not every caries process needs to be treated in the same way.
With an early lesion, an attempt can sometimes be made to halt the process with preventive measures. The latest WHO guideline also emphasizes prevention and, where appropriate, less invasive treatment of caries.
When a cavity has formed that can no longer be managed in this way, restorative treatment may be necessary.
The earlier a problem is detected, the more options there generally are to preserve healthy tooth tissue.
Preventing cavities in children
Good habits start with the very first tooth.
As soon as teeth erupt, daily care with a suitable fluoride toothpaste is important. With young children, parents must perform or support the brushing and ensure that all teeth are reached properly.
In addition, eating and drinking habits play a major role. Constantly offering sugary drinks and snacks especially increases the exposure of teeth to sugars.
The dentist can help parents with advice that suits the age and development of the child.
Preventing cavities at We Smile Tandartsen in Leiden
Would you like to know how healthy your teeth are, or do you regularly get new cavities despite brushing well?
At We Smile Tandartsen in Leiden, we do not just look at whether caries is present, but also at factors that can increase the risk. Based on this, we can provide advice on brushing, fluoride, nutrition, and additional oral care.
When extra guidance is needed, our dental hygienist can also help improve daily oral care.
Would you like to have your teeth checked? Please make an appointment for a periodic check-up.