5 Tips to prevent Toothache and Adult Cavities

The primary cause of toothache in adults and kids is tooth decay. Tooth decay is a gradual process and is often the result of bad dietary habits and improper oral hygiene. As you know, the inside of your mouth is home to millions of bacteria which are constantly recycling what you eat or drink. These bacteria react with sugary foods and create a sticky plaque over the enamel of your tooth.

As a result, all the acids emerging out as by-products of the bacterial reaction with the food, get stuck to the plaque and corrode the tooth enamel leading to cavities. Because of these cavities, more food particles get stuck in the tooth leading to infection and tooth decay. If you want to avoid toothache and get a healthy report from your dentist, you may take help of the following tips.

Brush and Floss daily

Brushing your teeth is a no-brainer when it comes to preventing cavities. Choose a good quality brush and a multi-action fluoride toothpaste. Brush all the sides of your teeth i.e. front, back, and top and do this at least twice a day. Brushing is very effective in removing the plaque. A good toothpaste remineralizes the tooth enamel and makes the enamel tougher.

Brushing is effective for the exposed surfaces of the teeth. However, to remove food debris stuck in between 2 tooth edges, flossing comes in handy. Flossing cleans the hidden edges of the tooth to prevent any plaque deposition in these areas. Floss daily once to keep tooth decay at bay.

A popular approach to counter tooth decay related pain is to use opioids. If you are a dentist and want to learn about the opioid abuse preventions, then opt for a Dental Opioid CE. It will help you understand the analgesic prescription methods to minimize the risk of both pre and post-operative discomforts of the patients.

A nutritious less-sugar diet

Good dental health is a reflection of a healthy balanced diet. Try to keep sugary food and drinks to a minimum as these are the ones which react with the bacteria inside your mouth to form plaque. Drink good quantities of protein and green leafy veggies. Drink a lot of water. Avoid sugary hard candies. Calcium and protein-rich foods like milk, eggs, almonds, beans, and lentils help in maintaining strong tooth enamel.

As a dentist, you can always enroll for Dental CE online for helping you deliver quality health care to patients. These courses include dental care related nutritional habits, sedation dentistry courses, IV certification which give you practical and hands-on experience.

Quit Smoking and start Chewing Sugarless Gum

As per a study, chewing tobacco and smoking tobacco both can lead to periodontal or gum disease. Smokers have twice the risk of getting gum disease as compared to non-smokers. Gum disease may lead to tooth loss, more serious infections of the heart and can lead to oral cancer. So if you do not smoke, great keep it up and if you do, quit it now.

Instead of smoking, the Americal Dental Association has found that chewing sugarless gum can be a healthy alternative. As the name suggests, sugarless chewing gums do not aid plaque formation, instead, the process of chewing gum increases the flow and mixing of saliva in your mouth which naturally cleans the tooth and prevents sticky plaque formation.

Regular Dental checkups and cleanings

Many times, cavities go undetected to the naked eye and can only be caught under a dental x-ray. Visit your dentist at least once in a year and get your teeth scrutinized thoroughly. Get a full dental cleaning done by a dentist yearly. Professional dental cleaning targets the plaque or the deposition on the enamel to make sure you have no permanent deposition of plaque and also prevents gum disease. A dentist can even recommend the right cleaning method, brush or toothpaste that you need to use depending on your current dental health. Modern tools like nitrous mask allow dentists to scrape off plaque and drill through unwanted debris stuck in a tooth.

Dental Sealants and Fillings

Dental Sealants shield the tooth from bacteria and plaque thus preventing cavity formation. They are usually applied as a protective coating to the biting surfaces of the back teeth of children as their permanent teeth start coming. Even adults can make use of dental sealants to delay any possible tooth decay.

In case of early detection of a cavity in your regular dental checkup, you can get it filled by the dentist. In the filling process, the dentist removes the decayed part of the tooth cleans the cavity and then fills the space with a filling material. Sometimes, it is difficult for the dentist to have vascular access during their filling and cleaning procedures. Intraosseous drill kit can be a great way to administer  IVs to cases where veins are not visible properly.

In summary, toothache and cavities can be prevented through a combination of good oral hygiene, healthy food habits, and regular dental checkups.