Causes of cavities that are often underestimated
Cavity aka caries (cavities) is one of the most common health problems. Anyone can experience cavities, whether it’s babies, children, adults, to the elderly.
Some people may think that only the mouth that is not cleaned is the cause of this condition. Come on, take a look at the various things that cause cavities in full below.
Why do teeth become cavities?
The most common causes of cavities are plaque. Plaque is a thin, sticky layer that is formed from the remains of food, saliva, and millions of bacteria.
When you eat and drink but rarely clean the mouth, plaque will form on the surface of the teeth. The bacteria that live in plaque will then multiply and produce acid.
This acid will continue to erode the outer layer of the tooth (enamel) until it finally forms a hole.
The size of the hole depends on the amount of plaque that has accumulated on the surface of the tooth. If the holes are still small or have recently formed, you may not feel anything.
The hole or cavity starts out small and gradually gets bigger when not properly cared for. The absence of pain in the beginning makes you unaware of this dental problem.
However, it will be a different story when the hole is getting bigger. You may experience pain and tenderness more often in the area of the tooth that is problematic.
The hole that is getting bigger and bigger also makes your teeth more at risk of infection or even off (date).
Various causes of cavities
There are many causes of cavities. Starting from daily habits to more serious medical conditions.
In general, several factors that cause cavities include:
1. Rarely brush your teeth
Dirty mouth and teeth are the main causes of plaque appearance. Apart from the surface of the teeth, plaque can also form between the teeth and under the gum line.
Every day plaque will continue to form if you are not diligent in brushing your teeth. Plaque eventually rot if allowed to continue to build up. As a result, your teeth will be more at risk of cavities.
Therefore, it is important for you to maintain daily oral hygiene. Brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning after breakfast and at night before bed. However, make sure you also do it with correct brushing technique, yes.
Brush your teeth in a circular motion slowly and gently. Do not scrub too hard, as this will damage the enamel on the teeth.
2. Sweet foods and drinks
Everything sweet is delicious and tempting. However, did you know that sugary foods and drinks are the cause of cavities? Yes, this is because sugary foods and drinks are delicious food for bacteria in the mouth.
These bacteria will eat away the remaining sugar that sticks to the surface of the teeth and produce acid. This acid will mix with saliva which then forms plaque on the surface of the teeth.
Plaque that is allowed to accumulate will scrape away tooth enamel until after a long time it causes a hole.
The hole that was originally small can extend to the inner layer of the tooth (dentin) and even to the pulp. Pulp is the innermost part of the tooth that is filled with nerves and blood vessels.
When the hole has reached this part, then you will feel a tremendous pain sensation. In fact, your teeth will hurt when you use them to chew food.
You don’t need to completely stop eating sugary foods and drinks because the body still needs sugar for energy. You only need to limit the portion and frequency of intake of sweet foods every day.
You can also stimulate saliva to provide minerals to the teeth by chewing gum.
Choose sugarless gum, combined with vegetables and fruits to stimulate the production of saliva to get rid of food debris on the teeth.
In order for dental minerals to be fulfilled, you can try foods such as cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. These foods contain high calcium and phosphate to strengthen teeth.
Of course, yogurt is the right choice for pregnant compared to other sweet foods. For drinks, you can switch to green or black tea to reduce bacteria in the mouth. But remember, the tea is not mixed with sugar.
Make sure you are also diligent clean teeth and mouth well after eating sweets. That way, you will avoid the buildup of plaque that causes cavities.
3. Sour foods and drinks
The high frequency of exposure to acids in the oral cavity causes the minerals in the teeth to disappear more quickly, and leads to the formation of cavities.
Some examples of exposure to acids include consuming soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juice, pempek (and its broth) and lemon juice.
In the case of preventing cavities due to acidic foods and drinks, what can be done is to reduce the frequency of consumption, especially pempek broth and lemon juice.
After consuming tamarind, wait about 40 minutes, then brush your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste. Increasing the consumption of mineral water to 2 liters per day can also keep the pH of the oral cavity normal.
4. Do not floss your teeth
Routine brushing alone is not enough to clean teeth. Often you will need to continue with dental floss (flossing).
Plaque that causes cavities mostly accumulates between the teeth. Therefore, dental floss can help effectively clean between teeth that are difficult to reach with toothbrush bristles.
Also pay attention Your way flossing. Thread the floss between the teeth and rub it carefully. Pulling and rubbing the thread too hard can actually injure the gums.
5. Dry mouth
Did you know that dry mouth can also be the cause of cavities? Low saliva production can cause dry mouth. In fact, saliva is important for maintaining mouth moisture as well as cleaning food debris and plaque from teeth.
Compounds in saliva also helps fight acids produced by bacteria. That is why, dry mouth can increase the risk of oral problems, from sensitive teeth, cavities, and so on.
One of the effective ways to prevent dry mouth is to drink lots of water. Recommendations from Institute of Medicine of the National Academies shows that the average intake of drinking water for women is 2.7 liters and 3.7 liters for men every day.
Everyone’s fluid needs may be different, depending on their age and daily activities.
However, experts recommend everyone to drink immediately whenever they feel thirsty. Thirst is a natural signal that your body generates when you experience it dehydration.
Some people may be reluctant to drink water because they don’t like the tasteless taste. If you are one of them, you can get around it by adding fresh fruit pieces.
Besides being healthier, this method is also effective in making you drink more water.
6. Age factor
Children and the elderly are the groups most susceptible to cavities. In the elderly, the body’s metabolic processes tend to slow down as you get older.
This makes the elderly (elderly) more at risk of experiencing various health problems, including cavities.
A number of drugs that are being taken regularly by the elderly can also inhibit saliva production and cause dry mouth. Not to mention the influence of lifestyle during youth, such as smoking and frequent drinking of alcohol, which can also trigger tooth decay in old age.
Meanwhile, children, at this age, are fond of eating sweet foods. Whether it’s ice cream, candy, chocolate, cake, or sweet drinks.
Unfortunately, the hobby of eating sweet foods is often not accompanied by good dental care. As a result, children are vulnerable to experiencing it tooth decay at an early age.
The role of parents is very much needed to care for children’s oral and dental health. From an early age, make sure children are taught how to care for their teeth properly.
Don’t forget, take your children to the dentist regularly since their first baby teeth appear.
7. Location of the teeth
The reason for the appearance of a hole that you may never have thought is the location of the tooth. In most cases, pits are formed more often in the back teeth, that is molar and premolars.
The back teeth have many grooves and gaps, so that food scraps often get stuck there. In addition, the back tooth area also tends to be more difficult to reach by a toothbrush.
Even though you are diligent in brushing your teeth every day, it is not certain that the back of your teeth is brushed cleanly.
In order for all the teeth to be guaranteed clean, be diligent in checking with the dentist to clean plaque and tartar regularly. Usually doctors recommend cleaning plaque and tartar with method scaling once every 6 months.
This procedure is effective in removing plaque that causes cavities to the part of the tooth that is difficult to reach by the toothbrush.
8. Sleep with a bottle of milk
Young children fall asleep very easily while still feeding with a bottle of milk. However, this one habit can damage your little one’s teeth who have just grown and become the cause of cavities.
The sugar in milk can stick to the baby’s teeth for a long time. This sugar will then be converted into acid by bacteria in the mouth.
Tooth surfaces that are constantly exposed to acids will gradually erode and become hollow.
So that your baby is free from this risk, be careful to wipe your little one’s gums and teeth after they drink milk. Also make sure you clean your little one’s teeth and gums before he falls asleep.
9. Certain diseases
People who have a history acid reflux disease such as GERD a high risk of experiencing tooth decay. GERD (stomach acid reflux) causes stomach acid to frequently flow up the esophagus to the mouth.
Well, the combination of stomach acid with the acid produced by bacteria in the mouth can erode enamel and dentin. If allowed to continue, this condition can cause sensitive teeth and cavities for a long time.
Anorexia and bulimia can also cause cavities in your teeth. Both of these diseases affect the production of saliva in the mouth.
This allows you to experience dry mouth which is the trigger and cause of cavities.
