Such a life saver. I’m 22 and had so many cavities mainly in my back molers (I have extremely cavity prone teeth even though as a vegetarian I eat lots of fruits and veggies)
Thank you very much for this :) I'm in my 20s as well and have been getting a stupid amount of cavities every year despite upping my oral hygiene routine significantly since my teens. I too also flossed improperly for some years without realizing 🥲 Here are some other cavity fighting mechanisms I wish I'd been told earlier: Disclaimer: I am not a dentist, just a fellow high caries risk citizen trying to spread awareness about cavity prevention beyond an oral hygiene routine. -drink lots of water: this ensures your saliva production is good (saliva repairs cavities) and bonus if your area has fluorided tap water that's great for your teeth. Lots of filtered water doesn't have fluoride. Drinking water constantly also washes away bad bacteria and sugars that accumulate on your teeth. Dry mouth lets decay go WILD, this is probably the most important thing do (second is manage your diet, next point) -reduce the number of time you eat carbs in a day. This includes bread, pasta, sauces, potatoes,fruits, sugar in coffee/tea,pop literally anything with sugar or carbs. The frequency of sugar exposure matters more than the quantity of sugar you eat in a day. The more frequently you eat sugar, the more cavities you get. I strictly eat 3 times a day (I eat as much as I can in one sitting) but the general recommendation is to have no more than 3 meals and 2 snacks in a day, and let your teeth rest for 2-3 hours between food so your saliva has time to repair areas that have been demineralized. Eat your dessert and sugary drinks with your meal as well. -MIPaste: you can get this on Amazon or through your dentist, it delivers calcium and other essential nutrients to your teeth to help remineralize them and repair white spot lesions (areas with little enamel). -ensure you are getting enough vitamin D , k2, calcium and magnesium. I've started taking supplements for these vitamins. -consume xylitol! It's a sugar substitute that kills cavity causing bacteria. You can chew xylitol gum,chew xylitol mints or add pure xylitol to your fluorinated water/coffee/tea. Be warned xylitol is toxic to dogs and may make you gassy if you consume too much so don't go overboard with it. -wait at least 30 min after eating before brushing for your enamel to reharden otherwise you will be brushing away your soft enamel and that's irreparable. -dont rinse out your mouth with water after brushing! Esp if you use fluoride toothpaste, just spit out the toothpaste. The fluoride toothpaste should stay on your teeth and that helps fight cavities. Finally, supposedly diet plays just as large a role in cavity prevention as hygiene. If you keep getting cavities, cut down on the frequency of meals (more important) and/or work on eliminating or reducing simple carbs from your diet. And don't drink pop! That shit is really bad for your enamel. Hope this helps someone! The above is what I learned after years of bad dentist advice. They always told me to just "floss more" yet my cavities never went away jeez....
I don’t have the bacteria that causes cavities but my breath is very foul easily I have lots of those ones. It’s not necessarily bad hygiene it’s mostly your genes.
I tried using interdental brushes but I feel like my teeth are too thight for them. I'm scared I will damage my tooth with the metal part in the middle since it touches my tooth. I have to stick to traditional floss...
Such a life saver. I’m 22 and had so many cavities mainly in my back molers (I have extremely cavity prone teeth even though as a vegetarian I eat lots of fruits and veggies)
Thank you very much for this :) I'm in my 20s as well and have been getting a stupid amount of cavities every year despite upping my oral hygiene routine significantly since my teens. I too also flossed improperly for some years without realizing 🥲 Here are some other cavity fighting mechanisms I wish I'd been told earlier:
Disclaimer: I am not a dentist, just a fellow high caries risk citizen trying to spread awareness about cavity prevention beyond an oral hygiene routine.
-drink lots of water: this ensures your saliva production is good (saliva repairs cavities) and bonus if your area has fluorided tap water that's great for your teeth. Lots of filtered water doesn't have fluoride. Drinking water constantly also washes away bad bacteria and sugars that accumulate on your teeth. Dry mouth lets decay go WILD, this is probably the most important thing do (second is manage your diet, next point)
-reduce the number of time you eat carbs in a day. This includes bread, pasta, sauces, potatoes,fruits, sugar in coffee/tea,pop literally anything with sugar or carbs. The frequency of sugar exposure matters more than the quantity of sugar you eat in a day. The more frequently you eat sugar, the more cavities you get. I strictly eat 3 times a day (I eat as much as I can in one sitting) but the general recommendation is to have no more than 3 meals and 2 snacks in a day, and let your teeth rest for 2-3 hours between food so your saliva has time to repair areas that have been demineralized. Eat your dessert and sugary drinks with your meal as well.
-MIPaste: you can get this on Amazon or through your dentist, it delivers calcium and other essential nutrients to your teeth to help remineralize them and repair white spot lesions (areas with little enamel).
-ensure you are getting enough vitamin D , k2, calcium and magnesium. I've started taking supplements for these vitamins.
-consume xylitol! It's a sugar substitute that kills cavity causing bacteria. You can chew xylitol gum,chew xylitol mints or add pure xylitol to your fluorinated water/coffee/tea. Be warned xylitol is toxic to dogs and may make you gassy if you consume too much so don't go overboard with it.
-wait at least 30 min after eating before brushing for your enamel to reharden otherwise you will be brushing away your soft enamel and that's irreparable.
-dont rinse out your mouth with water after brushing! Esp if you use fluoride toothpaste, just spit out the toothpaste. The fluoride toothpaste should stay on your teeth and that helps fight cavities.
Finally, supposedly diet plays just as large a role in cavity prevention as hygiene. If you keep getting cavities, cut down on the frequency of meals (more important) and/or work on eliminating or reducing simple carbs from your diet. And don't drink pop! That shit is really bad for your enamel.
Hope this helps someone! The above is what I learned after years of bad dentist advice. They always told me to just "floss more" yet my cavities never went away jeez....
Thanks for writing so long to help others
Thankyou ❤️
Tysm
I don’t have the bacteria that causes cavities but my breath is very foul easily I have lots of those ones. It’s not necessarily bad hygiene it’s mostly your genes.
This is eye opening
How long before you started seeing a difference? Had a pretty bad appointment today and i really need to pick up some of the products you've mentioned
I tried using interdental brushes but I feel like my teeth are too thight for them. I'm scared I will damage my tooth with the metal part in the middle since it touches my tooth. I have to stick to traditional floss...