You’ve probably been taught from a very young age that cavities are bad for your smile, but what else do you know about tooth decay? There are a surprising number of misconceptions surrounding cavities and the permanent holes they leave in your teeth. If you want to keep your pearly whites healthy and clean, it helps to know what’s fact and what’s fiction. Read on as your Allen dentist busts six common myths you may have heard about cavities.
Myth #1: Cavities Only Come from Sweets & Soda
When your natural oral bacteria feed on the sugars in the foods you eat, a harmful acid is produced and causes cavities. These sugars can be found in all foods, including bread, pasta, crackers, and even healthy items like fruits!
Myth #2: You Can Fill Cavities & Forget Them
Once a cavity is repaired with a filling, you need to continue to take extra care in keeping it clean. Plaque and bacteria tend to build up around fillings, which can raise the risk of cavities in nearby teeth. Additionally, proper care is needed to keep it from breaking and exposing the vulnerable part of your tooth.
Myth #3: Brushing Alone is Enough to Prevent Cavities
While regular toothbrushing plays a large role in preventing tooth decay, it can’t clean out the plaque and bacteria between your teeth. To keep cavities from forming there and in other hard to brush areas, you need to floss all your teeth daily.
Myth #4: All Gum Causes Cavities
Gum doesn’t cause tooth decay, but the sugar it contains does. Studies show that chewing sugarless gum after meals can actually help lower your risk of cavities by encouraging saliva production. Saliva washes away any lingering sugars and hinders plaque buildup.
Myth #5: Cavities Always Hurt
Cavities only cause pain and sensitivity when they’ve burned through a significant portion of your enamel and have reached the sensitive layers underneath. The earliest stages of tooth decay often cause no symptoms that you can detect, so it can form and progress without you realizing it.
Myth #6: Cavities in Baby Teeth Don’t Matter
Cavities in baby teeth can cause painful toothaches and infections just like they can in adult teeth. Additionally, if a baby tooth needs to be pulled early because of an untreated cavity, the developing permanent tooth underneath may come in crooked or misaligned.
Cavities are extremely common, so it’s important to understand what is and isn’t true about them. A little bit of knowledge and great at-home oral hygiene can go a long way in keeping your smile happy, healthy, and cavity-free!
About the Author
Dr. Tonie Lewis is committed to educating her patients so they can make informed decisions, guide their treatment, and keep their smile healthy at home. While her goal is always to prevent oral health issues before they develop, she can also quickly and comfortably treat cavities with high-quality tooth-colored fillings. If you have more questions about tooth decay, feel free to contact her via her website or at (972) 954-9728.