You may brush and floss your teeth daily but are your habits really helping or hurting your teeth. Here at TenderCare Dental, we uncovered the most common oral health myths and debunked them.
1. Sugar Is the Cause of Cavities
The truth is, acid produced by bacteria in your mouth is what will cause cavities, however, these types of bacteria are triggered to make acid when you eat carbohydrates — and sugar is a carbohydrates. But eating rice, bread, fruits, potatoes, and vegetables are also carbs. There is such thing as good sugar, those found in vegetables and fruit rather than donuts or ice cream. Once the acid eats into your tooth, the bacteria will build up in the area that is eaten into. It’s not the amount of carbs you eat that causes tooth decay, but the length of time your teeth are exposed. This means you can prevent cavities by brushing and flossing after every meal.
2. Kids Are More Likely to Get Cavities Than Adults
We have seen more cavities in adults than in children lately; in fact senior citizens tend to have more cavities. There has been an increase in cavities in senior citizens. Some medicines dry out the mouth that can reduce salvia. Saliva is important in fighting tooth decay because it helps neutralize acids, has a disinfectant quality, washes away bacteria, and helps prevent food from sticking to your teeth.
3. Aspirin Can Help a Toothache
This is not a myth, in fact swallowing aspirin is what helps reduce toothache pain. But some people think putting the aspirin next to the tooth will reduce a toothache. Since aspirin is acidic, placing it beside the tooth can actually burn your gum tissue, causing an abscess
4. You Can Avoid Cavities by Avoiding Sugar
Just avoiding sugar can not guarantee a cavity free life. Although eating sugar will cause cavities and tooth decay, there are many other factors that determine your oral health. Pick a diet low in sugar but make sure you brush and floss daily. This will help prevent cavities.
5. It is Okay to Skip your Dentist Appointment
With health care cost rising, it makes it difficult for some to maintain a consistent schedule and keep up to date with visiting the dentist. But when you skip appointments you could be hurting your health more. When you visit us regularly we can help prevent larger oral health issues.