Do some have genetically good teeth? Or is it truly in every case the more you brush and floss and avoid sugar, the better your teeth are and the longer they last? Nature or nurture?
Every single person on my father’s side of the family lost their teeth by the age of 50. Not because the teeth were bad, but the gums, and consequently the bone.
Some people are born with a predisposition to have better teeth than others (better meaning whiter, stronger, straighter, etc). But even the good teeth will rot if they are not taken care of. So, it’s a bit of both.
Anecdotally, my dad is–and has always been–fanatical about his teeth, and they are aesthetically perfect…but he’s had tons of bridges/root canals/etc…
My mother, OTOH, has only had one cavity in her life, at age 41 (she’s 56 now) and she’s never done anything other than floss once a day and brush her teeth twice a day.
Apparently I inherited her teeth; I’m 31 and I’ve never had a cavity. When I was being evaluated for braces (which I didn’t end up getting) the dentist told me that my teeth were so dense/hard that it would be difficult for braces to adhere to them and stay on. (I guess “the average tooth” is more porous than mine and bonds better to dental glue?)
I think teeth are like anything else…it’s a genetic lottery, and you can get lucky or unlucky, regardless of your personal vigilance. Not that it doesn’t help, of course.
I’m 31. Never had a cavity. I should be embarrassed to say - I take worse-than-average care of my teeth. Brush once a day, floss when something’s stuck or if I’ve got a dentist’s appointment coming up. My dad (not genetically related) brushes twice a day and flosses regularly, and seems to have a cavity every time he goes to the dentist.
This is exactly like my family, except reverse the mom and dad, and that I lost that genetic lottery. 
I have no doubt that the situation would be worse if I weren’t so fanatical about dental hygiene, but you can only do so much with what you’ve got.
Many of us who had good teeth for decades wind up keeping them so long that we then start having periodontal problems.
I don’t know; some of us are dragging that average pretty far down. You may be in a higher percentile than you think. I’m more than lax (less than lax?) about my dental hygiene and I’ve only had two cavities in 45 years. I had better luck in the teeth gene lottery than in most of the other body part sweepstakes.
When I was young (brush twice a day, flossed rarely, dentist annually) I had cavities all the damn time. Now (brush twice a day, listerine 1-2 x daily, floss occassionally, hadn’t been to the dentist in 5 years). Not a single cavity.
On the plus side, My teeth have always been nice and straight. no retainers, no braces. I would totally rather deal with cavities than all that other crap.
It’s a bit of both…I’m working on a study in a dental school, we now know (and are learning more and more) about how saliva affects caries (cavities). In a nutshell, some people are genetically disposed to not having cavities; for them, brushing once a day and flossing a couple times a week is enough to keep them to 0-1 cavities for their life. Others, if they brush 3x a day and floss religiously will have caries in every major tooth. Most fall in the middle; frankly, it’s always better to do more than less.
The best thing you can do is gentle, sustained (1 minute plus) brushing of your teeth, gums, and back of the tongue with extra-soft bristles, preferably with an electric toothbrush, and daily, complete flossing - not with those little “piks”, but the original around-the fingers, wrapped around the whole tooth, flossing. Gargling with a good mouthwash is essential as well - doing this when you can’t brush is a good alternative. Floss, brush, gargle, in that order.
I can say that if you have a predisposition to caries, you should not drink sugary beverages, and you definitely shouldn’t chew soft candy, it’ll only hurt you in the long run.
Very good teeth in the sense of never having had a cavity (age 39). Not so good in that they are disposed to being crooked. I had braces in back in my early teens.
I was 50 when I got my first cavity and I went for 20 years without seeing a dentist. I have soft tissue problems because of that, and now get cleanings every 4 months. I think it’s a combination of genetics and maintenance. I know people who slave over their teeth and still have problems, and others like me who have been neglectful and come out ok.
My teeth were in pretty good shape, that is until I got smacked int the mouth and seven of them got broke. I didn’t have dental insurance, so it took me 5 years to get them all fixed. Of course in the meantime all the teeth shifted and such so, well let’s just say they are OK but I could use some work still.
Both of my parents have bad teeth - cavities, bridges, root canals and stuff. Dad had his top teeth removed and has dentures.
Me, I was great until maybe 25, and started getting cavities. I think it was because I had braces and my teeth got closer together (my teeth are straight but I needed braces for my jaw).
My stupid brother, on the other hand, brushes once a day and has never ever flossed, drinks coffee and smokes, doesn’t eat cheese or drink milk, hasn’t seen a dentist in 10 years and when he finally went at 31 was found to be cavity-free shakes fist
My dad died at age 69 having never had a cavity. He was from a poor farm family, so probably had no dental care until he joined the military. My sisters and I didn’t inherit this, unfortunately. I have fillings in every molar. They are nice and straight, though.
Oral Surgeon said to me," The people with great teeth seem to have the most surgeries or other health issues, people with bad teeth seem to never have any other issues, but for maybe a yearly flu."
I’ve never used my health ins…