River Valley Dental Patient Education

Acidic and sugary drinks and foods promote the growth of cavity forming bacteria in the mouth and over time can lead to the erosion, or wearing away of the tooth’s enamel.

Cavities are partly caused by bacterial infection. The infection starts when the healthy bacteria in the mouth are replaced by acid-producing bacteria. The shift in bacteria is primarily caused by:

• A sugary/acidic diet that encourages acid-producing bacteria
• Failure to remove food from the surfaces of the teeth
• A prolonged lack of saliva
• Transmission of bacteria through the exchange of saliva.

The acid-producing bacteria cling to the surface of the teeth. This is also called plaque. The acids eat away at the enamel (the hard coating of the tooth), and cause demineralization and eventually a hole in the enamel. If the caries infection is caught early enough, the tooth can be remineralized.

We begin your appointment with asking several questions such as: How often do you brush your teeth? Do you use fluoridated toothpaste? Do you floss? Is your town’s water fluoridated? Do you take medications? We learn about your whole overall health and what your potential risk areas are from the answers you provide. Then you teeth, gums, and soft tissue are examined. This step will assist our staff in determining what types of x-rays would be needed to properly complete a personalized treatment plan for you. Disease Indicators and Risk factors will be documented and become part of the information gathered to complete your Caries Risk Assessment.

What you eat and when you eat can help or harm your oral health. You can limit the spread of caries bacteria in your mouth by avoiding sugary, starchy, and acidic foods like cookies, cakes, soft drinks and candy. When you eat, bacteria in the mouth attack the sugars in the food and produce acids. The pH of the mouth drops into the acidic zone and demineralization (erosion of the tooth’s enamel) starts. In a healthy mouth, saliva helps to raise the pH and remineralize the enamel. Here are a few guidelines to keep the amount of acid created by the bacteria on your teeth to a minimum:

1. Limit between meal snacking. If you do snack, choose cheese, meats, nuts, or milk. These foods may help protect tooth enamel by balancing the acidity of the mouth; the calcium and phosphorus in these foods help remineralize teeth. Vegetables and firm fruits like apples and pears are good too. Avoid candy, cookies, cakes, crackers, breads, muffins, potato chips, French fries, pretzels, bananas, raisins and dried fruits. Many of these foods stick and are difficult to remove from the teeth or get lodged in the crevices of molars, becoming a source of sugar for bacteria to feed on and produce acid.
2. Limit soft drinks or other sugar-containing drinks – including coffee and tea with added sugar, cocoa and lemonade, and even fruit juices. Avoid constantly sipping a drink (other than water) during the day. You want to limit the amount of time your teeth are exposed to the high acid levels.
3. Limit acidic foods like citrus fruits and even seltzer water –they can contribute to demineralization and erosion. The effects of acid exposure are cumulative.
4. Brush your teeth after eating with fluoride toothpaste for a full two minutes. Chewing sugarless gum that contains Xylitol can help reduce the risk of cavities. Chewing the gum helps dislodge some of the food stuck in the teeth and it increases saliva flow which helps to buffer the acids.

Fluoride occurs naturally in water, soil, air and most foods. It helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. Fluoride is absorbed into the tooth enamel and makes the whole tooth structure strong and more resistant to decay. Fluoride also promotes remineralization, helping to repair tooth decay before the damage is visible.

With good home health care and regular visits to your dentist for preventative education and treatments, you and your children can be cavity-free for life. We recommend:

• Brush for a minimum of 2 minutes, twice a day, using a pea-sized amount fluoride toothpaste. Spend 30 seconds on each quarter of your mouth.
• Brush after eating sugary, starchy or acidic food.
• Use proper brushing technique. Your dental professional can show you how.
• Use a toothbrush with soft bristles; replace your brush every three months, as well as after you recover from a cold or flu, or when you see the bristles are frayed and worn.
• Floss once a day. Flossing removes food trapped between the teeth. It reduces plaque and helps gums stay healthy.
• Eat a healthy diet and snack smart. Drink water instead of soda or energy drinks.
• Be sure to make taking care of teeth a part of your child’s daily routine. Remember not to put into baby bottles anything other than plain water at bedtime. Sugars from milk or juices linger in baby’s mouth over night, creating the perfect environment for tooth decay to start.

pH is how acidity is measured. A lower pH means the mouth is acidic and a welcome environment for decay to begin. The goal is to keep the pH of your mouth neutral between meals. Avoid sugary/acidic foods and drinks that encourage the growth of bacteria. If a caries infection is already in your mouth, your oral health professional may recommend pH equalizing prescriptions.

The hormonal changes of pregnancy increase the risk of developing gum disease. Pregnancy gingivitis is relatively common and taking care of it is important. Bleeding gums create an easy path for bacteria released by brushing or flossing to get into the mother’s bloodstream. The body’s immune system is normally able to fight off low levels of oral bacteria in the blood, however, pregnant women are more vulnerable to infections. It is important to stay as healthy as possible. You may consider asking your dental professional for ways that would work best for you, which may include more frequent cleaning visits during this time as well as increasing the amount of times that you currently brush and floss.

A risk factor is a proven indicator of disease. An increased frequency of a high-sugar/high-carbohydrate diet and dry mouth are signs of potential problems. The use of fluoride in toothpaste, fluoride vitamin supplements, local water supply, as well as dental sealants and a good flow of saliva are protective factors. By identifying your unique risk factors during the caries risk assessment, the dental care professionals are able to diagnose indicators of disease and develop the best treatment plan for you.

Saliva is important because it prevents the start of a caries infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth. Not having enough saliva can lead to tooth decay or other infections.
Dry mouth is the feeling that you don’t have enough saliva in your mouth. Symptoms of dry mouth include a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth, trouble chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking, a burning feeling in the mouth, a dry feeling in the throat, cracked lips, a dry and rough tongue, mouth sores, or an infection in the mouth. Having a dry mouth all or most of the time, can be a sign of diseases and other conditions.
Causes:

• Disease. Some diseases, like Sjögren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes affect the salivary glands and can cause dry mouth.
• Radiation therapy. Salivary glands can be damaged if they are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment.
• Chemotherapy. Drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, causing the mouth to feel dry.
• Nerve damage. Injury to the head or neck can damage the nerves that direct salivary glands to make saliva.

There are solutions for dry mouth. If the dry mouth is caused by a medication, your doctor may be able to change the medication or adjust the dosage. Your oral health specialist might suggest prescription therapies to help you keep your mouth wet. Sugar free Xylitol gum or candy may provide relief. Water-based oral rinses may help too. Be sure to drink plenty of water during the day.

White spots may be the first sign of tooth decay. The enamel becomes opaque in the area where a cavity is beginning to form. Schedule an appointment with your dental care specialist as soon as possible. It may be possible to treat and ‘heal’ the white spot lesion before it becomes a cavity.

Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener found in fruits and vegetables. It is recommended by dentists, physicians and other health care providers as a preferred alternative to sugar. Chewing gums or candies containing Xylitol is a way to help prevent caries infections. Xylitol is safe and effective for adults and children and acceptable for non-insulin-dependent diabetics.