You know the drill: For healthy teeth, you should brush at least twice a day, floss daily and visit a dentist regularly. Everyone knows that, yet most still fall short in the area of oral hygiene.

As long as your smile looks nice, it’s OK, right? Actually, even if your teeth look good now, it doesn’t mean problems aren’t lurking. Tooth decay (cavities) is one of the most common disorders people deal with, second only to the common cold.


You may think cavities are a small issue, but they can cause big trouble. “Besides not being aesthetically pleasing (due to discoloration or holes in your teeth), tooth decay can also cause pain, bad breath, and if you don’t take care of the bacteria that causes the cavity, that bacteria can be spread to your children and spouse through shared eating utensils, drinking after one another and kissing,” says Juliana Barros, D.D.S., assistant professor of restorative dentistry at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Even worse, if left unchecked, she says the bacteria can spread and cause bacterial infections elsewhere in the body.

Fortunately, preventing cavities and treating them isn’t difficult. And, as the years have passed, it’s become easier to keep your smile both beautiful and healthy.


PREVENTION

A bacterial process causes dental cavities. “Basically what happens is if any carbohydrates and sugars are left on the teeth, the bacteria begins processing those food particles and the end product is acid,” says Ryan Quock, D.D.S., who is also an assistant professor of restorative dentistry at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. That acid eats away at the tooth and forms a cavity.

In addition to brushing after meals, flossing and dental visits twice a year, the following may help prevent the formation of cavities:

Dietary Changes

One of the biggest changes you can make is to limit sugary foods, especially those that stick to the teeth, like candy. Another bad habit to break is sipping on beverages, like soda, juice or energy drinks, throughout the day. “That’s just bathing your teeth in sugar and giving the bacteria plenty of time to process all those acids that make the cavities,” Quock says. “If you’re going to sip on something throughout the day, sip on water.”

Xylitol

Studies have shown that Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar substitute, may reduce the risk of tooth decay by protecting teeth from acidic damage. Some chewing gums, mints and toothpastes contain Xylitol.

Sealants

“A sealant is a tooth-colored material that is used to seal the deep fissures of the back teeth,” says Barros. The fissures there are so deep it’s almost impossible to clean with a toothbrush, making the area a good hiding place for bacteria, she says. Sealant placement is quick and painless. “All we do is clean the teeth and put the material on top of it,” Barros says. Sealants last 10 to 12 years.

Fluoride

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that makes teeth more resistant to the tooth-decaying acids. “Most people have access to two very simple methods of getting fluoride,” Quock says. “Using fluoride toothpaste and drinking fluoridated tap water. Here in Houston, the water supply is fluoridated with the optimal amount of fluoride,” he says.


TREATMENT

Having a cavity once meant that you would get a silver filling (called an amalgam filling) placed. Amalgam fillings were the go-to material because they last for such a long time, at least 15 years. However, silver fillings aren’t too pleasing to the eye.

Now, most dentists use composite resin fillings, a mixture of powdered glass and a plastic resin. Although composite resin fillings are more expensive and don’t last as long as silver ones (they last between seven and 10 years), they still have benefits, such as their white color that matches the color of teeth. Also, “silver fillings just fill in the cavity, while natural fillings actually bond to the tooth and help strengthen the tooth,” says Terri Alani, D.D.S., with the Greater Houston Dental Society.

In addition to tooth-colored fillings, resin-modified ionomer cement fillings, a mixture of resin composites and glass ionomer, are also an option, says Barros. “For patients prone to cavities, this material is nice because it releases fluoride to the mouth, and every time the person brushes their teeth, the restoration is recharged with fluoride,” she says.

If you have only a small, early cavity, there’s another option. “Micro-air abrasion requires no anesthesia and is a small blast of air that takes out the decay, no drilling required,” says Alani.

Although cavity treatments are now better and more varied, prevention is your best bet. “The things that it takes to prevent cavities are very simple,” Quock says. “It may take an extra five minutes a day or a little more conscientiousness about what you eat and how often, but those simple changes can end up saving you a lot of pain and money.”

Contributing editor Tamekia Reece is an award-winning Houston freelance writer. Her article “Going Red” (Feb. 2009) won a Texas Medical Association (TMA) Anson Jones Award for health reporting.