How to Avoid Tooth Decay from Dentist in Warren, Michigan

Hi, I’m Dr. Greg Apsey, your Warren, Michigan dentist here at 586-573-7700. And today I’d like to speak about my tips for avoiding tooth decay. Unfortunately even though we’ve got fluoride added to the water and people are coming in for regular dental check-ups and having fluoride treatments in the office, we are still seeing dental decay. It is on the rise and it has a lot to do with the types of diets. I think the hurried lifestyle that we’re in, and the types of foods and drinks that contain acid and sugar are the worst culprits for causing tooth decay. My recommendations are, first of all, to avoid in between meals sweet or acidic foods or beverages. That includes any beverage containing citric acid, phosphoric acid, sugar. That includes juices, natural fruit juices as well, any sports drinks, any flavored water.

Most of these products contain acid and are damaging to the teeth. So in between meals my recommendation is that you stick with water. If your kids are in sports and they need to be drinking something containing electrolytes which is necessary, they should be drinking smart water which is going to provide them with those necessary electrolytes and but it’s not acidic.

If you’re going to have juice, we recommend that people drink fruit juices. They contain minerals and vitamins. They’re an important part of the diet. But if you’re going to have them, you should have them with meals only. Be sure to brush and floss, or at least rinse with water after meals. Consider home brewed green or black tea, possibly sweetened with xylitol. And I’ll get to xylitol in a little bit. Teas contain natural fluoride and they also help to prevent overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth. So my recommendation between meals is that in the morning or the night before, you have a pot of tea made and that tea can be iced down, and it’s a wonderful refreshing drink between meals and that’s good, it has certain benefits that’ll help to prevent decay.

Consider adding Xylitol to your diet. Xylitol is a natural sweetener which is extracted from birch trees, strawberries, and various other natural sources. It’s healthy for the mouth in that it helps to reduce bacterial levels. It also helps to neutralize the acids in the mouth. So after a meal with any acid-containing foods or any sugar, if you follow that meal with a xylitol piece of gum or a mint, it’s going to help to very quickly reduce the acids in your mouth. I have a an adult patient who had perfect, really perfect oral hygiene. He was one of my model patients, in that regard. But, year after year, exam after exam, he would generally have one or two cavities and it was really disturbing. We finally found out that he had a habit of eating mints between meals. And we replaced those mints with Xylitol mints. Since he’s been doing this for the last 3 years, he has had not one cavity. So, with excellent oral hygiene, plus the addition of Xylitol to his diet, we were able to eliminate the decay.

We also recommend, as far brushing and flossing, a minimum of twice daily to reduce level of harmful bacteria adhering to your teeth. There are bacteria between your teeth. You’ve got to get in there with the floss. The brushing is not enough. The floss, when done properly, is going to really eliminate the majority of bacteria between your teeth. This is very helpful. Also, we recommend that you use, if you’re struggling with decay, you should use a fluoride rinse before bedtime. So after brushing and flossing, rinse your mouth with fluoride. There are many on the market. ACT, Fluorigard, Listerine has a product. Fluoride becomes incorporated into the enamel and hardens the teeth and makes them more resistant to decay. But the main things are watching the diet, watching the number of times in the day that you have something acidic or sweet, and the addition of Xylitol to your diet. Thank you for listening.

How to Avoid Tooth Decay from Dentist in Warren, Michigan

If you have any more questions about how to avoid tooth decay, please give our Warren, Michigan office a call at (586) 573-7700.

How to Avoid Tooth Decay from Dentist in Warren, Michigan