Everyone knows that brushing and flossing is the best way to help fight against any cavities and to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Everyone knows this, but not everyone follows these simple rules. These 2 rules have been around for a long time, but as dentistry advanced so did different ways of fighting against cavities. Here are some tips of ways you can help prevent cavities.
1. Brushing your teeth with baking soda. Baking soda helps defuse the acid that is in your mouth. Baking soda is great to brush with because not only will it help you fight against any cavities it’s also a natural tooth whitener that will keep your breath smelling fresh. It’s very simple to use as well, all you need to do is wet your toothbrush, place a pea size amount of toothpaste on and then dip your toothbrush in some baking soda and then brush for 2 minutes.
2. Using fluoride is great for your teeth because it strengthens the enamel and roots of your teeth to make them stronger. Most toothpaste nowadays has fluoride in and depending on where you live there is fluoride in the water you’re drinking. At Philly Dentistry we recommend that we use a fluoride varnish treatment on you at least two times a year. This will help prevent cavities by making your teeth more resistant to acidic food and drinks.
3. Xylitol. Sounds fancy, but is just a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and can be found in many forms such as gum or candy. Xylitol helps stimulate saliva which will inhibit the growth of bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities. A warning about Xylitol is that is can cause an upset stomach so we recommend 5 grams a day.
4. Finally, the most obvious tip is to brush and floss daily. This helps you maintain healthy teeth and gums for life, by removing the plaque and bacteria that gets stuck from eating. By not brushing and flossing you’re allowing that food to sit on your teeth all day which becomes harder and harder to remove and will eventually turn into cavities. This is why it’s so important to brush and floss. Brushing an hour after you eat each meal will help ensure that you are getting rid of any of that harmful bacteria and that it’s not sitting on your teeth all day. It’s also important to not brush right away after a meal because that can cause damage to your tooth’s enamel so our dentists recommend an hour after eating. Give us a call today at 215-568-6222 and we can help you set up an appointment so you can achieve a happier and healthier mouth.