Perhaps one of the testimonials to the sad state of our dental health is that very familiar TV commercial where a child rushes to his or her father, interrupting whatever professional occupation he is engaged in, to shout, daddy, daddy, guess what, I only had one cavity. Even at the rate of one cavity every six months, assuming the child visits the dentist on the recommended schedule, this child’s happy boast actually means that by the age of 21, most of his or her teeth will have had a cavity.
It is not unusual for a person to have cavities. There are so many reasons for why it happens. Sometimes, cases of cavities are passed on to the next generations just like heart disease. A grandfather with good teeth is not a sign of your good dental health. He may have been drinking water with fluoride. He rarely ate sweets. He most probably achieved clean teeth using tooth powder and brine.
Since there isn’t anything you can do about your heredity, let’s see what you can do. For one thing, you can pressure your local government to fluoridate your water supply if your water has at least one part per million of fluoride, and if your children drink it, their teeth will be partly protected. According to studies, children who drink fluoridated water will only have half as much cavities as those who don’t. Actually, fluoridation is a safe and economical procedure which also seems to help hold the calcium in the bones of older people, thus retarding the onset of osteoporosis which makes the aged so susceptible to fractures.
Food with sugar should be taken in small amounts only. Pies, caramels, and other food with sticky sugar should be avoided. Cavities begin with the appearance of plaque on the surface and crevices of teeth. Plaque carries acid producing bacteria that corrode teeth. The bacteria love to feed on dextran, a substance made from table sugar.
Studies reveal that cavities are more prone to develop when sugar is eaten between meals rather than during them. Mothers from Britain have gone to the habit of letting their infants suck from pacifiers with a small amount of syrup. If you don’t believe this, you should hear about a particular case in the medical world that might get you convinced.
Unfortunate families may suffer from hereditary fructose intolerance. Though they can eat starchy foods, these people are unable to eat food with fructose without getting sick. People with this condition stay away from sucrose. They don’t have cavities despite the fact that they consume food containing carbohydrates, such as bread.
Food made from sugar would most likely be the cause for cavities in Western states. You should bear in mind that your mouth, especially your teeth and gums, are essential to your nutritional state. Vitamins and minerals are a necessity for improved dental health. Harder foods can provide gum stimulation and cleaner teeth.
It makes sense now as to why tooth brushing and dental checkups are important. Otherwise, you may be in for pain, expense and unnecessary loss of teeth.
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