Simple Ways to Prevent Tooth Decay

most people think if their tooth does not hurt that they do not have a cavity or if they don't see a big brown or black spot that they're in the clear but cavities are sneakier than that oftentimes tooth decay does not hurt at all and cavities often hide in between your teeth tip one on how to prevent cavities is simple brush and floss properly this seems like a no-brainer but I will link below my proper brushing and my proper flossing videos to make sure that you are in fact using the correct technique but in general flossing which I know no one ever wants to talk about flossing is so important because one of the most common places for cavities to form is between your teeth having said this there's lots of people that may benefit from adding more than just flossing to their routine so that would be something like proxy brushes or water flossing anything that will help remove more and more debris from your teeth and I also have videos about alternatives to flossing and different options for floss so I'll link those below as well also there's always the debate whether you should brush your teeth or floss your teeth first but if you're purposely trying to lower your risk for cavities the best thing to do might actually be brush first then floss then rinse here's why toothpaste has fluoride in it when you brush it only gets the parts of your teeth that you can see so what you should try to do after you brush don't spit try and leave that toothpaste on your teeth and then floss the idea is that this will help get that fluoride toothpaste up there to reach those areas between your teeth then after I floss I like to rinse however there are some studies that show it's good to not rinse that it's good to leave that toothpaste on your teeth if you can but I personally can't get into that I don't want that chunky toothpaste left on my teeth but if you are someone who can do that if you can brush and floss your teeth and never rinse with water just spit the toothpaste out and you're all set that's great but if you're like me and you just like can't get into that you want to rinse with water that's okay because that brings me to my next tip tip number two swish with a fluoride rinse before bed if you are concerned of decay you want to swish with an anti cavity or a fluoride rinse every night after you brush and floss before you go to bed by the way protip cavities can also be called dental decay or dental caries oftentimes dental providers may use caries or decay interchangeably but for the purpose of this video I'll try to keep calling them cavities anyway to help strengthen your teeth and to help your teeth fight off cavities you should swish and rinse with a fluoride mouthwash before bed we usually recommend before bed just because you're supposed to wait 30 minutes before you eat or drink anything and if you're sleeping for say six to eight hours that's a good amount of time for that fluoride to be sitting on your teeth tip number three drink more water and rinse after meals everyone knows that drinking water is key to your overall health right but did you know that drinking water is also key to your overall dental health so always try to drink and/or rinse with water throughout the day if you're having any snacks and it's actually a really good idea to try to avoid snacking in between meals but again personally for me that's not an option I need to snack so every time I snack I make sure I at least rinse with water and if I'm able to I will floss or brush also if it's an option in your area consider tap water multiple areas in the u.s.

provide water that contains regulated fluoride levels to promote healthy teeth so if you have the choice between bottled water or fluoridated tap water pick the tap tip number four get your checkup x-rays I know this can be like a controversial thing but the goal of dental x-rays is to benefit you not to hurt you I know a lot of people decline or refuse x-rays because they're concerned about radiation and I understand that but the amount of radiation you get from check-up x-rays also called bitewing x-rays is so minimal it's actually equivalent to eating four bananas because the potassium and bananas is technically radioactive and a lot of things we do on a daily basis is radioactive I actually have a whole radiation comparison chart on my website to talk real calm which compares the different levels of radiation of all the different tasks that we do on a daily basis and lastly tip number five down the sugar in your diet you want to specifically reduce fermentable carbs because they work with bacteria in your mouth to begin the decay process some popular fermentable carbs are cookies and cakes and some less obvious ones are bread crackers and cereal so technically candy is not your biggest risk for cavities your biggest risk is actually fermentable cards there are some candies that are fermentable carbs as well because yes of course candy causes cavities too and believe me I'm the first one to know that it's super hard to say no to a cookie or a brownie so if you are going to have fermentable carbs it's okay but the best way to have them is with a meal the worst way to have them is snacking on them throughout the day if you do need to snack on them though make sure you at least rinse with water after or even better brush and floss while there may not be a way to totally eliminate cavities from your life knowing how to prevent them can still reduce your chance of getting them so do the best you can that's all we can do and I hope this video helped you please like and subscribe and share if it did and if you want to learn more about healthy teeth and a healthy lifestyle you can go ahead and check out my website teeth out girl comm I also have those radiation charts on there and until next teeth talk Tuesday peace love empty.