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3 Important Tips To Keep Cavities Out Of Your Life

Cavities are no fun. Depending on how long the cavity has been in your mouth and its location, you could experience extreme pain. The best way to deal with cavities is to avoid them. Here are three important tips to keep cavities out of your life.

1. Watch Your Acidic and Sugar Intake

Cavities happen when the acid in your mouth eats away at the enamel of your teeth. There are a couple of things you can do to avoid this.

• Avoid acidic foods: Citrus fruit and tomatoes are the most common acidic foods. The acid in these foods promotes tooth decay. If you eat these foods, rinse your mouth as soon as possible afterward.
• Avoid sugary foods and drinks: You already know that sugary foods and drinks can wear away your enamel. The obvious culprits are ice cream, soda, and candy. But were you aware that there is added sugar in fruit flavored yogurt, dried cranberries, applesauce, and blueberry muffins equivalent to more than one and a half donuts? Business Insider gives more insight as to how many donuts worth of sugar are in your favorite foods.

2. Rinse Quickly with Hydrogen Peroxide

You can kill bacteria that can settle on your teeth and gums wearing away at the enamel with one simple trick. Rinse your mouth once a day with a bit of hydrogen peroxide. This reduces the amount of bacteria that can get inside your gums that lead to cavities. Rinse for just a few seconds and follow up with water.

3. Brush and Floss (Especially Before Bed)

In an ideal world, you would have time to brush your teeth for at least two minutes after every meal and snack. In real life, you probably only have the time to participate in a complete dental hygiene regimen while you are at home. If you're a busy professional, you eat many of your meals and snacks on the go. Spend a good 10 to 15 minutes before you go to bed caring for your teeth. This is the most critical time to prevent additional bacteria from festering overnight.

In the evening, floss to be sure food particles between your teeth are removed. If you can invest in a water flossing tool, these are worth the money. Pressurized water will dislodge food particles quickly and easily. If you can't afford a water pick, regular dental floss works well also.

Brush with a soft or medium bristled toothbrush for at least two minutes. Rinse your mouth with an antibacterial mouthwash. Rinse one final time with hot water. This washes away any residual sugar from meals and restores your mouth to a neutral level. These steps will ensure that the environment in your mouth is not a breeding ground for bacteria.

Follow these three tips to keep cavities from forming. If you notice a slight change such as pain or irritation at any point, reach out to a dentist such as Joseph Craig to see if it could be a cavity developing. The sooner you catch it, the easier it is to correct.