Healthy teeth and gums make it easy for you to eat well and enjoy good food. There are a number of problems that can affect the health of your mouth, but good care should keep your teeth and gums strong.There seems to be a lot more that can be done to help individuals prevent tooth decay based on what is already known.
Even with fluoridation and oral hygiene, tooth decay is still the most common food – related disease affecting all families, having the economic impact of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.However decay is easy to prevent by reducing acid demineralisation from food left on teeth, neutralising acid after eating, or at least twice a day chewing a special form of toothpaste before or after brushing.
All cavities occur from acid demineralisation of teeth where chewing leaves food trapped on teeth. Though more than 95% of trapped food is left packed between teeth after every meal or snack, over 80% of cavities develop inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces where the brush and fluoride toothpaste cannot reach.
Fissure sealants painted over chewing surfaces blocks food being trapped inside pits and fissures and changed to acid helping prevent acid demineralisation and tooth decay about as much as fluoridation where over 80% of cavities occur. Sealants forced inside pits and fissures under chewing pressure penetrate deeper inside chewing surfaces where food is forced under chewing pressure where brushing cannot reach as seen with a glass model of a fissure.
Chewing fibre like celery after eating helps force saliva inside pits and fissures and between teeth to dilute carbohydrate like sugar in trapped food, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth better than chewing gum that cannot absorb or expel saliva.
Chewing toothpaste before or after brushing would help fluoride remineralise susceptible tooth surfaces between teeth and inside pits and fissures where brushing cannot reach.
Teeth are covered in a hard, outer coating called enamel. Every day, a thin film of bacteria called dental plaque builds up on your teeth. The bacteria in plaque produce acids that can begin to harm enamel. Over time, the acids can cause a hole in the enamel. This hole is called a cavity. Brushing and flossing your teeth can protect you from decay, but once a cavity happens, a dentist has to fix it.
You can protect your teeth from decay by using fluoride toothpaste. If you are at a higher risk for tooth decay , you might need more fluoride. Your dentist or dental hygienist may give you a fluoride treatment during an office visit. Or, the dentist may tell you to use a fluoride gel or mouth rinse at home.
