While cavities are the most common dental condition for patients of all ages, they’re more often associated with children’s dental health. Being less adept at maintaining good hygiene every day and more likely to indulge on sugary and highly acidic treats, children sometimes can be at a higher risk for cavity development. However, many adult patients in Syosset, NY, can be just as at-risk for cavities due to a wide variety of factors. Fortunately, those risks can be effectively mitigated with good hygiene and regular preventive dental care.
Common Cavity Risk Factors
Cavities, or holes in your teeth, are a product of chronic tooth decay. When harmful oral bacteria (which are the foundation of plaque and tartar) infect your tooth structure, they erode the structure, causing an increasingly larger cavity in your tooth. These bacteria become a threat when poor hygiene allows them to accumulate en masse. The substances they produce quickly overwhelm your teeth’s protective layer of enamel, leaving them vulnerable to decay. The less consistent you are with your hygiene routine and the more often you expose your teeth to things like sugar and carbs, the more bacteria can produce harmful acids and infect your teeth.
How to Avoid These Risks
- Brushing and flossing – The key to controlling cavity-causing oral bacteria is to brush and floss them off of your teeth every day. Oral bacteria and the plaque they form are a constant threat, and daily hygiene is the only way to address it successfully. Be sure to brush at least twice every day and floss at least once (preferably just before going to bed).
- Eating responsibly – As living organisms, harmful oral bacteria thrive on certain nutrients. The most notorious ones are sugar and carbs, which fuel the specific bacteria that produce enamel-eroding acids. Limit how much sugar you consume each day and refrain from snacking too often to limit your teeth’s exposure.
Protect Your Permanent Teeth from Cavities
Patients of all ages may be susceptible to cavity development, which is why preventing them is an important part of routine dental health care. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Syosset Dental in Syosset, NY today at 516-433-2211 or 516-921-1678.
