Does Preventive Dental Care Reduce The Risks of Cavities?

Dental cavities are permanently damaged areas in the teeth that develop into tiny holes. Dental cavities, like most dental infections, start as small unnoticeable issues and grow gradually to become a major source of concern. Most times, dental cavities don’t cause pain at the early stage, but they grow into a source of toothache, infection, and tooth loss if left untreated. A lot of options are available for the treatment of cavities, but can cavities be prevented? Can preventive dental care reduce the risks of cavities?

Preventive dental care, also known as preventive dentistry, is dental care that helps you to maintain good oral hygiene. It involves going for regular dental checkups coupled with good personal oral hygiene like brushing and flossing. Your oral health should be taken as seriously as your medical health and preventive dentistry can help to do just that. Preventive dentistry can help to keep your teeth healthy for as long as it is practiced. According to a popular saying, prevention is better than cure, preventive dentistry cost less financially and health-wise than treatment.

Cavities, as said earlier, are serious threats to your oral health and must be taken care of as soon as possible.

Symptoms of cavities

Cavities are said to be a bit unnoticeable at the early stage, how then do you know if you have a dental cavity? The symptoms of dental cavities include:

Tooth sensitivity. You might start to feel pain or discomfort as a response to foods and drinks of hot or cold temperature. Tooth sensitivity has a lot of oral health problems that can cause it, and dental cavities are a part of it.

Toothache. You might start to experience pain in your tooth sooner or later as a symptom of a dental cavity.

Visible holes in the teeth. The emergence of holes in your teeth is a very strong indication of the possible presence of a dental cavity in your teeth.

Teeth discoloration. Losing the natural color of your teeth might be caused by the presence of a dental cavity in them. You might see white or black stains on your teeth.

Most of these symptoms might be caused by other dental conditions. Therefore, it is very important to confirm from your dentist what the cause of these symptoms might be.

Causes of cavities

Dental cavities are caused by tooth decay which is in turn caused by plaques. A dental plaque is a sticky film containing bacteria, that coats the teeth. Plaques form as a result of the combination of bacteria, saliva, acid, and food particles in the mouth. When the bacteria in your mouth mix with sugary or starchy foods, dental plaques are formed.

Dental plaques can damage a tooth and lead to tooth decay or tooth loss, and tooth decay, in turn, leads to dental cavities.

Can preventive dentistry reduce my risks of getting dental cavities?

There are a lot of options in preventive dentistry to help maintain your oral health, and keep off infections and disease. You and your dentist have your respective roles to play in the overall wellness of your oral health.

Your roles in preventive dental care are:

• Brushing at least twice a day with teeth-friendly toothpaste and toothbrush.
• Avoiding acidic and hard foods that can harm your teeth.
• Flossing regularly to get rid of plaques before they become tartar.
• Avoid smoking and the use of other tobacco products if possible.
• Use mouthguards while playing sports or in situations where damage could be done to your teeth.

These are the preventive dental care measures your dentist can only advise you to do. They are the basics of maintaining good oral health, and they can only be done by you.

Preventive dentistry services offered by dental professionals include:

• Dental makeovers (Teeth cleaning, teeth whitening, etc.)
• Routine X-rays
• Frequent oral exams.

Does preventive dentistry reduce the risks of cavities?

Yes! Preventive dentistry does reduce the risk of having dental cavities. Since preventive dentistry involves dental makeovers, brushing, and flossing of the teeth, these measures eradicate plaques which are major causes of cavities. Preventive dentistry helps to minimize the risks of or avoid cavities, gum disease, enamel wear, and many more teeth infections.