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Cavities
“You’re chewing gum? I thought you were a dentist!” I hear this joke from time-to-time. I get “caught” with gum fairly often as I chew it several times daily because of the many benefits to your teeth. A lot of people make the assumption that all gum, across the board, is bad for your teeth. Well, don’t worry. If you like chewing gum, you might be doing your mouth a favor!
Many people suffer from chronic dry mouth. Dentists call this xerostomia. If you are one of those that can’t seem to keep your mouth moist, you know that it is quite a nuisance, but you should know that the problems with dry mouth go far beyond an annoying issue. Xerostomia could be damaging your teeth and gums.
Did you know there are five distinct stages of tooth decay? And, that in the first stage of decay, you can actually take steps to reverse the progression of the disease? Indeed, it’s true. In the first stage of decay, whether you’re a child or an adult, the application of fluoride via fluoride treatments, your toothpaste and even the local water supply can stop a cavity from penetrating through the enamel and reaching its second stage. Even the saliva in your mouth and the foods you eat help to re-mineralize a tooth in jeopardy. But that’s just the first stage! What about the rest? Understanding how a cavity progresses can assist you in preventing each successive stage from occurring. There’s always a lot going on in that mouth!
Over the last several years the sparkling water market has exploded. Everyone has seen Perrier and Pellegrino. They have been around for decades, but recently there has been an influx of new, flavored carbonated water brands like La Croix and Bubly. Wegmans Food Markets and all of the major beverage brands have even jumped on the bandwagon. If you're like me, you love these drinks (especially the Wegmans Cherry Pomegranate!), but what's the difference between these, plain-old water, and other types of beverages?
According to the National Institutes of Health, the most prevalent health condition after the common cold is tooth decay. It’s far more than likely that if you haven’t already had a cavity, you will develop at least one in your lifetime.
Many will be celebrating Easter this coming weekend and with it comes an abundance of candy. Easter poses a problem to your teeth, but there are some choices that you can make that may make the holiday a bit less of an issue when it comes to tooth decay. Here are some types of candy that you may encounter this Easter.
Patients are often surprised to find out that they have a cavity. I've been in that position myself, and understand the disbelief! When showing a patient their cavity on our HD screens, we often hear "but it doesn't hurt”. While cavities can lead to tooth aches, they rarely do.
