Enamel is like armor for your teeth, protecting them from harm. But your enamel can get damaged by cavities. You can also have problems inside your teeth, below the enamel where you cannot see what’s going on. That’s why digital X-rays are so important to a thorough dental exam. Our Winnipeg dentists rely on these to spot cavities, infections, and more.
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 to schedule your next dental exam.
Cavities are very common, and many people have at least one filling in their smile. Some have several. Although they’re that common, cavities are often misunderstood by people. For example, did you know that sugar is not what causes tooth decay?
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 to make your next appointment for a dental exam. You can have cavities without feeling a thing, which is why you need a thorough exam from a dentist. Our Winnipeg dentists can help with fillings or dental crowns to repair the damage.
Cavities Are Not Caused By Sugar
Why do you get a cavity? Tooth decay is caused by harmful bacteria that live in your mouth. (Don’t worry, everyone has some of these.) They survive by eating tiny food particles that get trapped on your teeth and gums.
These harmful bacteria also produce an acid. So when they live on the surface of your teeth, that acid burns small holes in the enamel that are called cavities or tooth decay. That’s why it’s so vital to brush and floss regularly. Cleaning your teeth like this will help get rid of the food particles feeding bacteria.
That’s also why people can believe cavities are caused by sugar. Because it’s packed with calories, sugar lets those bacteria thrive and multiply. That increases the acid produced, which leads to more cavities.
Cavity & Filling Facts
Knowledge can help you better protect yourself and your family, so here are some facts about cavities and fillings that everyone should know.
– Any food or drink can lead to more cavities
When it comes to letting those bacteria multiply and get out of control, the two biggest culprits are sugar and carbohydrates. That’s because both are packed with energy. It’s also why avoiding sugary foods can be healthy for your smile.
However, the harmful bacteria behind cavities can survive on just about anything you eat. Even an all-protein diet can lead to cavities if you do not clean your teeth regularly with brushing and flossing.
– Untreated cavities can grow so big that a filling won’t stay in
Since cavities are caused by bacteria, they tend to keep getting worse until you get a treatment like a dental filling. But in order for fillings to work, there has to be enough healthy enamel for that filling to bond with. When a cavity grows too big, a filling will likely fall out.
There is a solution. Our Winnipeg dentists can help in these cases with a dental crown. This is a cap that cover the entire visible part of your tooth. Placing a dental crown over a large cavity seals it up and prevents it from getting any bigger.
– There are no nerves in your enamel, so you cannot normally feel a cavity
Your tooth has nerves, but they’re only in the center of the tooth. The enamel covering it has no nerve endings. (That’s a good thing. If it did, chewing would actually hurt.) But one problem with this is how you don’t feel cavities growing in your enamel. You could have a few cavities growing right now and not know it.
That’s why getting a regular dental exam is so important. Digital X-rays and visual inspections can catch tooth decay when it’s smaller and easier to treat.
– A cavity that grows too deep could infect your tooth
Letting a cavity grow too big could mean a filling won’t work, but there’s another problem to worry about. If a cavity grows too deep, it can break through to the dental pulp. This is where the blood vessels and nerves for the tooth can be found. If a cavity reaches here, the bacteria causing the tooth decay can infect your dental pulp.
This normally gives you a bad toothache. Worse, it starts to turn your enamel brittle. You’ll need a root canal at this point to avoid having the tooth removed.
Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to schedule your next dental exam. Because you normally cannot feel cavities in your teeth, you need regular exams to make sure there are none hiding in your teeth.
Brushing your teeth is how you can keep your teeth clean and fight cavities. But how clean is that toothbrush you use? Watch this short video for some tips on keeping clean the brush you use to keep your teeth clean.
Then call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515. Our Winnipeg dentists can give you a dental exam to spot any cavities, gum disease, or similar problem that might have slipped past because your toothbrush wasn’t that clean.
It’s summer, and many people will drink responsibly at backyard parties, summer concerts, and more. While there’s nothing wrong with that, you do need to be careful. Beer, wine, and mixed drinks can lead to cavities, gum disease, discolored teeth, and more.
That’s why you need to call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515. Our Winnipeg dentists are ready to help with thorough dental exams to see if alcohol has created any problems already. If so, you can get the needed dental treatments to help keep your mouth healthy.
Finally, the weather is starting to warm up and the sun is coming out more and more. That means summer is here, and it’s time to start getting some exercise outside. Running, hiking, or just playing around the pool at a friend’s house can be great fun this time of year.
But these can also dehydrate you. Even if you don’t drink too much alcohol or coffee, you sweat a lot more in summer. And dehydration can lead to more cavities and worse.
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 and schedule your next appointment. A dental cleaning will help protect your teeth and gums, while a dental exam can determine if you have any problems that dehydration might make worse.
Why Wet Teeth Are Healthy Teeth
Getting dehydrated at any time of the year is a problem. You can feel dizzy, nauseous, tired, irritable and more. It also hurts your dental healthy because it leads to dry mouth.
Believe it or not, your teeth and gums depend on saliva to help keep them healthy. Here’s what your saliva does for your smile:
- Gets rid of food particles. Whenever you eat, tiny bits of food and drink are trapped on your teeth and gums. These feed harmful bacteria behind gum disease and cavities, but saliva helps wash them away.
- Help prevent stains. Dark foods and drinks leave behind tiny stains on your enamel that eventually turn your teeth dark. Saliva cannot stop all stains, but it can help keep some of them away from your teeth.
- Keep your breath nicer. When you’re mouth is dry, it’s more likely to have an odor. Saliva helps wash away some of what makes your breath smell, keeping it nicer.
- Protect your enamel. There’s a little amount of calcium and similar minerals in your saliva. These help keep your enamel strong.
How Dehydration Leads To Dental Problems
Here are some of the dental health problems that can happen to you when you’re dehydrated and have dry mouth.
DISCOLORED TEETH
When you eat dark foods and drinks (coffee, tomato sauce, tea, chocolate, etc.), a tiny amount gets trapped on your teeth. This leaves behind a stain that’s too small to see. But as times flies by, these stains build up until your teeth are dark and brown.
Normally, saliva helps prevent some of these stains from getting trapped on your enamel. But when you have dry mouth thanks to dehydration, the stains build up faster leading to discolored teeth.
WEAK ENAMEL
Because saliva has trace amounts of calcium and similar minerals, it can help keep your enamel strong. Saliva coats your teeth, and the minerals in it soak into the enamel, making it healthier. So when you’re dehydrated and have a dry mouth, your teeth aren’t getting the minerals they’re used to having.
CAVITIES
Tooth decay is caused by harmful bacteria that live in your mouth. They feed on food particles in your mouth, and they produce an acid that erodes holes (or cavities) in your enamel. So the more food particles there are in your mouth, the more cavities you eventually get.
Saliva is supposed to help wash away those food particles, but when you’re dehydrated, that’s not happening. That’s why you can get more cavities when you have a dry mouth.
GUM DISEASE
Cavities aren’t the only thing those bacteria can cause. When they live on your gums instead of your teeth, they still produce an acid. But instead of eroding holes in enamel, it irritates and damages your gum tissues. This leads to gum disease.
Because you don’t have the saliva you normally do, you are at a higher risk of getting gum disease through dehydration.
HALITOSIS (BAD BREATH)
If you’ve ever woken up dying of thirst, you probably had bad breath (also known as halitosis). That because a dry mouth doesn’t have any saliva to wash away stuff that makes your breath smell. Instead, it just sits in your mouth and causes halitosis.
Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to schedule your next appointment with our Winnipeg dentists — and make sure you drink plenty of water this summer.
Holidays are a time to get together with family and friends for big dinners. In particular, Easter is connected to candy and treats. That means your family’s teeth can be at risk around this holiday. All of that sugar can lead to cavities and gum disease.
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 and schedule your next appointment. Easter can be rough on your family’s teeth, so regular dental exams are needed to make sure there aren’t any problems hiding.
How Food & Drink Affects Your Family’s Teeth
When it comes to protecting your teeth and gums, you already know how sugar is a problem. But why? It’s because harmful bacteria thrive on energy-rich sugar. As they grow and multiply, they produce an acid that damages your teeth and gums. This is how you get tooth decay and gum disease.
Although bacteria love sugar, they can eat almost anything you can. Carbohydrates are packed with energy, so bread, pasta, and potatoes can increase your risk of cavities and gum disease similar to sugar. But just about anything you eat leaves behind food particles that support those bacteria.
There’s one other thing your family need to be aware of: acid. Some foods like wine, pickles, and coffee are naturally acidic. Other foods like pop have acids added to them to balance how sweet they can be. Any of these acids can erode your enamel and leave you with weakened teeth.
That’s why brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits are so important. The more you keep your mouth clean, the more you can decrease your risk of dental health problems.
Tips For Helping Smiles Get Through This Holiday
Here are some specific ways you can help your family limit the damage all those Easter foods and drinks can cause.
Rinse with plain water after meals and snacks.
Because cavities and gum disease are made worse by those food particles on your teeth and gums, it makes sense that washing them away will help. After your meals and snacks, rinse your mouth with water. This can also get rid of acids coating your teeth so they won’t do much damage.
Limit how much pop people drink.
Regular pop is full of sugar. Drinking this coats your teeth and gums with sugar, increasing your risk of dental health problems. But all pop — even diet — is also highly acidic. You might be doing better by drinking diet pop, but that acid is still damaging your teeth. Enjoy the holiday but limit how much pop you and your family drinks. Water is always the better choice.
Put any Easter baskets away.
It’s an Easter tradition to lay out baskets filled with all kinds of candy. That’s fine! You don’t want to take away all sweets because this is a holiday after all. Besides, your kids might rebel. But there’s no reason to leave these baskets out all day long. After everyone has tried some candy, put the candy in the freezer and the baskets away.
Skip colorful and sticky chocolate.
All candy can hurt your teeth, but some do more damage than others. Candy that’s bright orange, blue, or some other color can stain your teeth. You won’t get orange teeth! Instead, those teeth will start to lose their whiteness. Sticky candy is a problem because sugar gets stick all over your mouth. This just makes cavities and gum disease more likely.
Replace some of that candy with toys and games.
Speaking of candy, there’s no reason why every gift for this holiday has to be some form of sugar. Some candy is fine, but replace some of those sweets with more healthy alternatives. In fact, small toys and games make a great replacement because they’re fun but will not hurt your teeth.
Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to schedule your next appointment. A dental cleaning helps get rid of plaque and tartar that those bacteria create, while a dental exam will help find problems while they are still small and easier to treat.