I often get asked by patients – “What did I do wrong for cavities to happen in my mouth? I eat well , I brush my teeth everyday, I dont floss regularly but then who does? SO WHY ME?”

Hmmm…. interesting observation, considering tooth decay or cavities cannot happen randomly like winning a lottery. Medical and dental science is very clear on cause and effect and dental caries is a multifactorial chronic disease that can be possibly exacerbated by initial poor tooth structure like hypocalcified enamel (either genetically or due to antibiotics early on in life etc.)

For cavities to happen you need 3 things:

Because this is a patient benefit blog I will try to stick to as simple explanations as possible…

If you dont have teeth you cant get cavities (Take no.1 out of the equation)

If you stop eating there wont be any sugar (there is some sugar in some form in all foods we eat and also this extends to drinks, slurpees fizzy colas and sports drinks which are very acidic aswell. (Take away no. 2 out of the equation)

If you brush very well you will keep your mouth free of bacteria to a certain extent and possibility of cavities is reduced. The combination of three above causes demineralisation in teeth which then cavitates to form a  hole in the tooth. Early regular checkups with the dentist (possibly every 6 months+ periodic xrays) can detect small areas of decalcification and modern day medicine has provided us with remineralisation solutions that can reverse early lesions.

So friends, the next time you a having that mid meal snack or gulp the fizzy cola … think twice !!!!!!!!