Acidic and sugary drinks and foods encourage the growth of cavity forming bacteria in the mouth and can lead to the erosion, or wearing away of the tooth’s enamel over time.

Cavities (caries) are caused in part by a bacterial infection. The infection starts when the normal healthy bacteria in the mouth are replaced by acid-producing bacteria. The shift in bacteria is primarily caused by:

• A sugary/acidic diet that encourages acid-producing bacteria
• Failure to remove food from the surfaces of the teeth
• A prolonged lack of saliva
• Transmission of the bacteria through the exchange of saliva.

The acid-producing bacteria cling to the surfaces of the teeth like a film. Your dentist calls this plaque. The acids eat away at the enamel (the hard coating of the tooth), and cause demineralization (white or brown spots) and eventual cavitation (hole) in the enamel. If the caries infection is caught early enough, the tooth can be remineralized and ‘healed’.

Cavities(caries), are caused in part by a bacterial infection. The caries infection takes hold when the mouth becomes a welcoming environment for the infectious bacteria. Cavities are the demineralized areas, or holes, that form in teeth as the result of bacterial caries infection. The good news is that caries can be detected and treated.

At the first visit, each patient of the DentaQuest Oral Health Center receives a review of their dental health history and medical health history. This includes an evaluation of his/her personal oral health habits and a complete medical history review prior to examining the mouth. The hygienist starts with a conversation about your daily oral health routine: How often do you brush your teeth? Do you currently use fluoridated toothpaste? Do you floss? Is your town’s water fluoridated? Do you take medications? In the process, we learn about your whole overall health and what your potential risk areas are. The second step is to examine the teeth, gums, and soft tissue. This step will assist our staff in determining what types of x-rays would be needed to properly complete a personalized treatment plan for you. Disease Indicators and Risk factors will be documented and become part of the information gathered to complete your Caries Risk Assessment.

What you eat and when you eat can help and harm your oral health. You can limit the spread of caries bacteria in your mouth by avoiding sugary, starchy, and acidic foods such as cookies, cakes, soft drinks and candy. When you eat, bacteria in the mouth attack the sugars in the food and produce acids. The pH level of the mouth drops into the acidic zone and demineralization (erosion of the tooth’s enamel) begins. In a healthy mouth, saliva helps to raise the pH and remineralize the enamel. To prevent tooth decay here are a few guidelines to keep the amount of acid created by the bacteria on your teeth to a minimum:

1. Limit between meal snacking. If you do snack, choose cheese, meats, nuts, or milk. These foods may help protect tooth enamel by balancing the acidity of the mouth; the calcium and phosphorus in these foods help remineralize teeth. Vegetables and firm fruits like apples and pears are good too. Avoid candy, cookies, cakes, crackers, breads, muffins, potato chips, French fries, pretzels, bananas, raisins and dried fruits. Many of these foods stick and are difficult to remove from the teeth or get lodged in the crevices of molars, becoming a source of sugar for bacteria to feed on and produce acid.
2. Limit soft drinks or other sugar-containing drinks – including coffee and tea with added sugar, cocoa and lemonade, and even fruit juices. Avoid constantly sipping a drink (other than water) during the day. You want to limit the amount of time your teeth are exposed to the high acid levels.
3. Limit acidic foods like citrus fruits and even seltzer water –they can contribute to demineralization and erosion. The effects of acid exposure are cumulative.
4. Brush your teeth after eating with fluoride toothpaste for a full two minutes. Chewing sugarless gum that contains Xylitol can help reduce the risk of cavities. Chewing the gum helps dislodge some of the food stuck in the teeth and it increases saliva flow which helps to buffer the acids.

Fluoride occurs naturally in nature in water, soil, air and most foods; it helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. Fluoride is absorbed into the tooth enamel and makes the entire tooth structure strong and more resistant to decay. Fluoride also promotes remineralization, helping repair tooth decay before the damage is visible.

Some communities have naturally occurring fluoride in their water supply; others add it at water-processing plants. To see if your city or town’s water is fluoridated, click here. If your family uses well water speak to your dental health professional for recommendations on getting your well water tested. If your community public water supply is not fluoridated, talk to your dentist about alternatives, such as fluoride toothpastes, prescription fluoride vitamins for children as well as fluoride varnish applications.

Fluoride varnishes may be recommended for individuals who are especially vulnerable to tooth decay. The varnish is a small, safe amount of concentrated fluoride in a resin base which is brushed onto the teeth, hardening on contact with saliva. The DentaQuest Oral Health Center sees many benefits of using fluoride varnish applications for their patients at risk for dental disease to assist them with managing their disease.

With good home health care and regular visits to your dentist for preventative education and treatments, you and your children can be cavity-free for life. When we don’t brush our teeth correctly, cavity-causing plaque is left behind. We recommend:

• Brush for a minimum of 2 minutes, twice a day, using a pea-sized amount of over the counter fluoride toothpaste. Spend 30 seconds on each quarter of your mouth.
• Brush after eating sugary, starchy or acidic food.
• Use proper brushing technique. Ask your dental professional to show you how.
• Use a toothbrush with soft bristles; replace your brush every three months, as well as after you recover from a cold or flu, or when you see the bristles are frayed and worn.
• Floss once a day. Flossing removes food trapped between the teeth. It reduces plaque and helps gums stay healthy.
• Eat a healthy diet and snack smart. Drink water instead of soda (even diet sodas) or energy drinks.
• Be sure to make taking care of teeth a part of your child’s daily routine. Remember not to put into baby bottles anything other than plain water at bedtime. Sugars from milk or juices linger in baby’s mouth over night, creating the perfect environment for tooth decay to start.

pH is how acidity is measured. A lower pH means the mouth is acidic and a welcome environment for decay to begin. The goal is to keep the pH of your mouth neutral between meals. Avoid sugary/acidic foods and drinks that encourage the growth of bacteria. If a caries infection is already in your mouth, your oral health professional may recommend pH equalizing prescriptions.

Chart source: http://thisfoodthing.com/2008/10/06/ph-values-of-common-items/

The hormonal changes of pregnancy increase the risk of developing gum disease. Pregnancy gingivitis (tender, swollen gums that bleed easily) is relatively common and taking care of it is important. Bleeding gums, a symptom of gingivitis, create an easy path for bacteria released by brushing or flossing to get into the mother’s bloodstream. Normally, the body’s immune system is able to fight off low levels of oral bacteria in the blood. Pregnant women, however, are more vulnerable to infections, so it is important to stay as healthy as you can. You may consider asking your dental professional for ways that would work best for you, which may include more frequent cleaning visits during this time as well as increasing the amounts of times that you currently brush and floss.

Let your oral health professional know that you are thinking about getting pregnant and be sure to have your teeth cleaned and your gum tissue examined. Usually, pregnancy gingivitis reverses after the pregnancy is over. Then, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your oral health after you have your baby to have your periodontal health evaluated.

Occasionally, dental care professionals at DentaQuest Oral Health Center will recommend home care therapies to help you avoid caries infections. Ask your oral health care provider about prescription therapies that we use for healing cavities, treating gum disease, and treating dry mouth/sensitivity.

A risk factor is a proven indicator of disease. An increased frequency of a high-sugar/high-carbohydrate diet and dry mouth are signals of potential problems. Use of fluoride in toothpaste, fluoride vitamin supplements, local water supply, as well as dental sealants and a good flow of saliva are protective factors.

By identifying your unique risk factors during the caries risk assessment, DentaQuest Oral Health Center care professionals are able to diagnose proven indicators of disease and develop the best treatment plan to assist you on the road to dental wellness.

Saliva is important. It prevents the start of a caries infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth. Not having enough saliva can lead to tooth decay or other infections in the mouth.

Dry mouth is the feeling that you don’t have enough saliva in your mouth. Symptoms of dry mouth include a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth, trouble chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking, a burning feeling in the mouth, a dry feeling in the throat, cracked lips, a dry and rough tongue, mouth sores, or an infection in the mouth. Having a dry mouth all or most of the time, can be a sign of diseases and other conditions.

Adults and children can get dry mouth. Here are some causes:

• Disease. Some diseases, like Sjögren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes affect the salivary glands and can cause dry mouth.
• Radiation therapy. Salivary glands can be damaged if they are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment.
• Chemotherapy. Drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, causing the mouth to feel dry.
• Nerve damage. Injury to the head or neck can damage the nerves that direct salivary glands to make saliva.

There are solutions for dry mouth. If the dry mouth is caused by a medication, your physician may be able to change the medication or adjust the dosage. Your oral health specialist might suggest prescription therapies to help you keep your mouth wet. Sugar free Xylitol gum or candy may provide relief. Water-based oral rinses may help too. (Stay away from mouth rinses that contain alcohol.) Your dental care team can make suggestions about this. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water during the day.

Do you see spots on the enamel of your teeth that are whiter than rest of the teeth? White spots may be the first sign of tooth decay -- the enamel becomes opaque in the area where a cavity is beginning to form. Schedule an appointment with your dental care specialist as soon as possible. It may be possible to treat and ‘heal’ the white spot lesion before it becomes a cavity.

Xylitol (pronounced "ZY-litol") is an all-natural sweetener found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is recommended by dentists, physicians and other health care providers as a preferred alternative to sugar. The DentaQuest Oral Health Center often recommends chewing gums or candies containing Xylitol as a way to help prevent caries infections. Xylitol is safe and effective for adults and children and acceptable for non-insulin-dependent diabetics. It:

• Naturally reduces decay-causing bacteria levels,
• Promotes healing of the initial start of an enamel cavity (remineralization),
• Maintains a non-acidic environment for your teeth,
• Inhibits growth, adhesion and metabolism of major decay-causing bacteria,
• Increases salivary flow,
• Prevents the transfer of decay-causing bacteria from mother to baby.

Look for gums and candies with at least .07 grams of Xylitol per piece. If the gram dosage is not listed, look at the ingredients and make sure Xylitol is one of the first two. For patients found at risk for dental disease, it is recommended to have 6-10 grams daily of xylitol.