When it’s Possible to Reverse Tooth Decay

If you’re frequently learning about small cavities at your dental exams, it’s time to make a few changes to your oral hygiene routine. Depending on the size of the cavity, you may even be able to send it running and reverse tooth decay through updated diet, oral hygiene and daily habits.

How Fluoride Strengthens Enamel

The formation of small dental cavities can be reversed by a process called remineralization, when the deposition of minerals is applied to damaged areas of a tooth. Fluoride works by helping to remineralize your teeth in two ways, internally and externally.

Internally

When you eat or drink fluoride in small amounts as a child, it enters the bloodstream and becomes part of developing strong permanent teeth. Swallowed fluoride also becomes part of the saliva in your mouth and gives your teeth a strengthening bath from the outside.

Externally

Applying fluoride directly onto teeth by the use of a fluoride toothpaste or mouth rinse containing fluoride is a great way to coat the teeth with a healthy boost. Both children and adults can also receive a professional fluoride treatment from the dentist. When applied to the teeth’s exterior, fluoride helps to speed remineralization, rebuilding your enamel.

Anti-Cavity Efforts to Try at Home

While we’re all well aware that brushing and flossing help cleanse and protect your enamel, there are other helpers that are less obvious in reducing your risks of developing tooth decay. Adding these anti-cavity efforts into your daily life will lead to a stronger, beautiful smile that’s healthy and cavity free.

• Straws – Using a straw when consuming a sweet or citrus-based drink like lemonaids help to limit your enamel’s exposure to the liquid.
• Black Coffee – New research suggests that plain, black coffee may have an antibacterial effect, due to the high caffeine content. Adding in cream, milk or sugar lessens the positive effects caffeine can have on your teeth, so try embracing the black coffee taste if you’re a daily coffee drinker.
• Stay Hydrated – Drinking plenty of water during your day is vital in every aspect of your health, but drinking water is especially important to your teeth. Not only does drinking water increase your natural saliva which washes away harmful bacteria and acids, it also keeps dark foods from staining your enamel, leaving teeth whiter and healthier.
• Chewing Gum – But not just any gum. Stick to sugar-free gums that contain Xylitol that works to fight plaque, kill cavity-causing bacteria and encourage your saliva natural production.
• Using Antacids – If you suffer from acid reflux disease, use antacids to reduce the acidic environment in your stomach. Acid rinsing to the mouth bathes the teeth in caustic liquid that erodes the teeth causing sensitivity and tooth decay.

Stop Cavities Before They Start

The best way you can avoid cavities is to check your at-home oral hygiene routine to see where it’s lacking. Proper brushing takes at a minimum of two minutes – that’s right, 120 seconds! If you brush your teeth in under a minute, and don’t take the time to properly brush all tooth surfaces, you’re not getting your teeth really clean. To properly brush your teeth:

• Use short, gentle strokes on all tooth surfaces
• Make sure to clean every tooth in your mouth
• Pay extra attention to hard-to-reach back teeth and around areas you already have fillings, crowns, or other restoration dental work
• Don’t forget to brush your tongue for fresher breath

If you have advanced tooth decay, no number of home methods or remedies will heal the cavity. You should visit your dentist as soon as possible for professional assistance. They will fill the cavity and get you back to square one, so that you can prevent decay from taking hold again.

Check-in with Tompkins Dental for tips on how you can prevent future tooth decay and avoid fillings with a little extra care.