I have really cavity-prone teeth. I try to at least rinse with water, if not brush after every meal, brush - at a minimum - when I wake up and before bed, floss at least 4 or 5 times a week, use a tongue-scraper, use mouthwashes sometimes. Not to belabour the point but I am very orally hygenic. Still, every 6 months at my cleaning, I have a least 2 cavities. Often more. Yesterday I had 2 cavities and 3 “watch spots” which means they’re gonna be cavities any day now. It’s been like this as long as I can remember. I’m worried that pretty soon I’m going to effectively have dentures because my teeth are going to be completely made up of whatever fillings are made of. At least they’re white these days thank god. Lately my hygenists have all been going on about this food and that food and every drink being “very acidic” and that’s the reason people get cavities.
So . . . is acid causing my cavities, and could rinsing with a basic solution help to counteract it?
IANA dentist but if fluoride isn’t preventing tooth decay (fluoride is very effective at preventing tooth decay) then try the baking soda solution. It’s unlikely that it will cause any problems. The stuff is quite benign. It can cure/prevent digestive problems so you won’t develop stomach ulcers worry about your decaying teeth.
Now we’ll wait for the resident dentists to give us a clue.
1: You should be flossing after every brushing not 4-5 times week.
2: It sounds like you may be somewhat over brushing your teeth which is not all that great for your enamel.
3: I didn’t see you mention the use of a water-pick (pik) but (IMO) this is the # 1 cavity prevention tool, you can use in addition to brushing.
Do you have some sort of acid reflux problem that exposes your teeth to high acid levels? Acidity will promote cavities. If you are addicted to soda or other high acid drinks.you might want to reconsider your ingestion habits.
Back in the 70’s, in Rochester NY I was one of the guinea pigs for the tooth sealing process, some sort of glop that they used UV to cure to make a coating on my teeth … I had about 10 great years of no cavities and great checkups … do they still do that? Do they do it on adults?
I know I should floss more but I always forget or get tired and lazy :smack:. But after brushing? I’ve always flossed before brushing, hoping that the brush will get some of the stuff the floss knocked loose.
I brush lightly with a soft-bristle brush and don’t use toothpaste when I brush in the middle of the day - only in the morning and before bed.
I don’t use a water-pik. I used one like 15 years ago but I thought they were out of vogue.
I do have acid reflux, actually. It hasn’t been nearly as bad since I quit smoking a couple years ago but I still get it (I know the cigarettes were hell on my teeth but the situation hasn’t changed since I quit and in fact it was also the same before I started.) I don’t drink much soda. Probably 3 sodas a week.
Are you talking about sealants? I got those on my 4 back molars back in the late 80s. Unfortunately the morons didn’t clean the teeth before doing them and I promptly got cavities underneath all 4.
This is honestly an question for a real dentist. But from what mine has told me, some people are more prone to cavities based simply on the structure of their teeth. Some people’s teeth have (relatively) very deep canyons and grooves where bacteria can find shelter and ride out the routine daily cleanings. For such people it really doesn’t matter how often and thouroughly you scrap/floss/brush your teeth; you’ll never get the important ones and they’ll keep on doing their evil business of farting out acid into those microscopic nooks and crannies leading to cavities. Exsessive brushing/scraping/flossing will just lead to premature gum recession and even more problems. Other luckier people have teeth with very flat/smooth/bald surface features which are easy to clean and remove bacteria off from, and they seldom if ever get cavities, even with poor oral hygeine. It sucks but that’s life. Your idea might help, but I don’t know how deep the alkaline solution would penetrate these problem areas over the few seconds exposure time a day it would have.
My son had baby teeth like this, and had them sealed with dental sealant. My wife informs me they(*) do this for the permanent teeth for all kids. Might be worth asking, but it may need to be one before any decay.
(*) Not sure if this means our dentist, or all dentists.
My dental hygienist told me it didn’t matter whether you flossed before or after. I thought like you, but now I figure if you floss afterward, any particles will be washed away with saliva, and not reattach themselves to your teeth.