Welcome to 3rd South Dental. Dr. Andrew Theurer, Dr. Cameron Call, and their team love creating beautiful smiles. We can help you maintain excellent oral hygiene and keep those cavities away with our competent, accommodating service. Here are some tips for cavity prevention.
Keeping Cavities Away With Good Dental Hygiene
Preventative dentistry focuses on preventing issues rather than treating them once they arise. Preventative dentistry is an excellent strategy for maintaining general dental health and avoiding cavities and tooth decay.
Preventative dentistry only takes a small amount of knowledge and extra work daily. That small amount of work can make a big difference. We can provide you with helpful advice and assist you in achieving excellent oral hygiene and avoiding cavities.
Helpful Dental Hygiene Instructions
Healthy, functional teeth and gums are the foundation of cavity prevention. Good dental hygiene includes:
- Brushing and flossing regularly
- Maintaining your diet
- Using various dental tools and procedures
- Keeping your regularly-scheduled dental appointments
Brush Regularly for Cavity Prevention
Brushing and flossing are the foundations of good oral hygiene and cavity prevention. Brushing helps to reduce plaque, tartar, and calculus. Plaque is a sticky film that builds on teeth. It’s a colony of living bacteria, food residues, and saliva. Plaque bacteria turn food particles into acids, which cause tooth decay.
Brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums in a small, circular motion, making sure the bristles are always on the gums. Cover the fronts, tops, and backs of the teeth. Brushing for three minutes at least twice a day is recommended. Brush your teeth, especially before going to bed. Use an ADA-approved soft bristle brush and ADA-approved toothpaste.
Your tongue, gums, and much of the inner region of your mouth should all be brushed. Plaque can form in any part of your mouth, resulting in bad breath and poor oral hygiene. And don’t forget to swap out your toothbrush about every three to four months.
Floss as Regularly as You Brush
Floss every time you brush if possible. It disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing gum, tooth, and bone damage. Some patients only move the floss thread between their teeth a few times. This is good, but we want your flossing to be great because cavities form and hide between the teeth.
Wrap 12-16 inches of dental floss around your middle fingers, leaving approximately 2 inches of floss between your hands. Gently insert the floss between teeth with a sawing motion, using your thumbs and forefingers to guide it. Form a “C” shape with the floss around each tooth and under the gumline. Gently move the floss up and down the side of each tooth to clean it.
Going Beyond the Basics of Cavity Prevention
Your teeth can last a lifetime if you maintain good dental hygiene. We can help you keep your teeth in excellent shape, but it may require more than simply brushing and flossing. Some “extra” cavity prevention measures include:
- Using a gum stimulator. Gum stimulators have a pointed rubbery tip that you can slide between your teeth and gums fast and easily. After brushing and flossing, use it. It can help you remove any plaque that you might have missed otherwise.
- Using an electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes can be more effective than traditional toothbrushes at cleaning teeth. They can also reduce the risk of receding gums caused by brushing with conventional toothbrushes. 3rd South Dental will advise you on the best electric toothbrush brands to use and how to use them properly.
- Maintaining a good diet. A bad diet can cause gum disease and tooth decay. You don’t have to avoid your favorite meals if you practice good oral care. Sugary, acidic meals and drinks, such as sweets and fruit juices, can wear down tooth enamel and lead to cavities. Fermentable carbs in these types of foods can worsen the decay process:
- Cookies
- Cakes
- Bread
- Crackers
- Cereal
Please make an effort to enjoy them in moderation.
- Chewing sugar-free gum. It helps keep the cavities away by stimulating saliva and neutralizing acids in your mouth, washing away food particles.
- Gargling, swishing, and rinsing. Rinse your mouth with a fluoride mouthwash. Do this especially before going to bed.
- Drinking lots of water. Drinking plenty of water is a great way to rinse away the material that can cause cavities. Try to rinse with water after meals and especially after snacking on sweets and foods with fermentable carbs. Tap water can be better for cavity prevention than filtered or bottled water, as many areas in the US provide fluoride in the water.
- Increasing fluoride intake. You can also get more fluoride by taking fluoride supplements, eating fluoridated foods and beverages, and brushing your teeth with ADA-recommended toothpaste.
Maintain Regular Dental Appointments
We also know that routine cleanings help prevent cavities. Depending on your dentist’s recommendations, you should have regular checkups and cleanings around twice a year. If you’ve never visited 3rd South Dental, we’d be delighted to give you a consultation and provide some excellent recommendations.
We’ll do a comprehensive examination and address any issues affecting your oral hygiene. We’ll look for long-term problems that aren’t always obvious.
For example, even if you don’t see a cavity, it doesn’t mean you don’t have an issue. Cavities can be developing on your teeth even before they show up as a mark or impression on your tooth. Tooth decay sometimes doesn’t hurt at all, and cavities can hide between your teeth where you can’t see them.
The Best Cavity Prevention in Salt Lake City Valley
Make an appointment with 3rd South Dental today. We’ll provide unrivaled professionalism using state-of-the-art technology. We’ll make sure you’re at ease and confident in the services we provide. We’ll discuss various methods you can use to improve your oral hygiene routine. We are excited to meet you and see that smile.