How to avoid cavities?

Ah! Caries ! According to Top Santé magazine, 9 out of 10 French people have already suffered from it! 🤒

Dental caries are infections of the tissues that cover the teeth.
They develop little by little, and if they are not treated in time, can lead to significant damage to your teeth, even loosening of the teeth and the loss of one or more teeth! 🔨 For this reason, it is important to know the best practices to avoid them! 💪

It is not always easy to detect if you have tooth decay, however, some symptoms can help to recognize it 🔍:

• Redness of the gums
• Swelling of the gum or cheek
• Pain when chewing
• The presence of headaches
• Fever...

There are three main factors which, when combined, strongly favor the development of cavities 🦷

1. Dental plaque: due to the accumulation of food residue after a meal, more than 60 to 70 types of bacteria can coexist inside your mouth and form an unappetizing yellowish paste: this is what called dental plaque. Some of these bacteria can cause gum disease (gingivitis), while others actively contribute to the development of cavities ◼️.
2. A poor diet: a diet that is too rich in acids will promote the demineralization of the enamel, just as a diet that is too rich in sugars will accelerate the appearance of cavities. It is therefore recommended to pay attention to your diet and not to abuse sweets! 🍬
3. The fragility of teeth: we are not all equal in terms of teeth. Some of us have more fragile teeth than others. Teeth with thin, poorly mineralized enamel are generally less resistant to cavities. In addition, irregular teeth can also retain food debris more easily and contribute more to the accumulation of dental plaque ☹️

The combination of these three factors generally causes a significant risk to the teeth. Then it's only a matter of time ⏰ before cavities or gum disease develop in your mouth 👅

Here are our 4 tips to prevent cavities:

1. Use toothpaste with fluoride 🧪
   Dentists generally recommend using fluoride toothpastes. Indeed, fluoride is known to help strengthen the enamel of your teeth, which reduces the appearance of cavities. However, be careful not to overdo it! Too much fluoride can also have harmful health effects. It is therefore important not to exceed the recommended dose of 1450ppm for adults and 950ppm for children!
2. Brush your teeth regularly 🪥
   Two minutes is the ideal brushing time with an electric toothbrush rather than a manual brush (three minutes if you use a manual brush!). Brushing is an important part of the work, it helps eliminate plaque , which is responsible for the development of cavities.
3. Use dental floss and mouthwash 🚰
   If brushing with the right method represents about 50% of the work, the remaining 50% comes from the use of dental floss and mouthwash. Using mouthwash regularly strengthens teeth thanks to the active ingredients it may contain, and therefore prevents potential cavities. Dental floss, on the other hand, helps remove food residue stuck between your teeth and thus reduces dental plaque.
4. Limit your consumption of sugars 🍬
   Sugar promotes cavities , without directly causing them. These are the bacteria naturally present in our mouth which, feeding on sugar, will transform it into acids which can weaken the teeth and promote the appearance of cavities. Limiting sugar is therefore a real solution to avoid cavities! 💡 (in addition to avoiding being overweight!)

The goal of caries treatment is to retain as much tooth tissue as possible and, when possible, to keep the tooth alive. The nature of the care is adapted to the stage of evolution of the cavity 🏃

When the cavity only affects the enamel of the tooth, it can be treated superficially.

When the cavity reaches the dentin (the majority substance of which your tooth is composed), a restorative intervention is necessary 🔧

When the pulp of the tooth is decayed , all the tissue inside the tooth must be removed, cleaned and disinfected 💉 This is called pulpectomy (devitalization of the tooth) .

There you go, cavities should no longer have any secrets for you, we hope you enjoyed this article 😉 If you have a few minutes, don't hesitate to take a look at our great electric toothbrushes , which thanks to their sonic technology, they eliminate dental plaque and therefore also prevent cavities! 💪