One of the most basic, but essential forms of hygiene and taking care of yourself is brushing your teeth. While it is one of the many things that you are taught as a toddler, it’s important to continue to practice good oral health routines throughout childhood, your teenage years, and even into adulthood.
Not only can simply brushing your teeth twice a day get rid of the germs that cause bad breath, but they can also prevent cavities. While cavities can occur due to improper brushing techniques, a lack of brushing your teeth, or not flossing, cavities can form for a number of other reasons. Brushing your teeth has a ton of benefits for your oral health, but knowing if they can reverse cavities too is key.
Learn more about the importance of brushing your teeth and whether toothpaste is able to reverse the start of a cavity and prevent it from fully forming!
What Good Can Brushing Your Teeth Really Do For Your Oral Health?
Brushing your teeth is crucial for many reasons besides preventing cavities!
While growing up, we’re taught the importance of brushing your teeth everyday, along with proper brushing techniques and routine six-month cleanings. Stressing the importance of brushing your teeth is crucial because it can prevent a lot of unwanted and preventable oral diseases and issues throughout your later years.
How Often Should You Be Brushing Your Teeth?
According to dentists, it is recommended to brush your teeth at least twice a day–once in the morning and again before you go to bed. Brushing your teeth in the morning can eliminate bacteria that can accumulate overnight that causes bad breath–waking up with a fresh smile–and brushing in the evening can remove any leftover food particles and plaque build-up with the help of flossing. Pairing brushing your teeth with flossing and even using a mouthwash can also help prevent further plaque build-up while also keeping your breath fresh and teeth healthy.
How Can Brushing Your Teeth Help Maintain Oral Hygiene?
By taking your dentist’s advice and brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing, and even using mouthwash, it can help prevent a number of common dental problems. The most common issues that form from skipping out on brushing your teeth are tooth decay, which can then lead to cavities. This is due to the process of plaque build-up that produces acids that rot the enamel–the outermost layer of your teeth.
There are many other reasons why brushing your teeth is crucial to maintain your oral health:
- Removes plaque and food particles
- Prevents gingivitis–which causes bad breath
- Prevents periodontitis (gum disease)
- Freshens your breath
- Strengthens tooth enamel to keep it healthy
- Can help prevent heart disease
- Removes surface stains that cause yellow teeth
- Reduces heart attacks and strokes
What Types of Toothpaste Can Help For Better Oral Health?
Finding the right toothpaste can be difficult if you’re looking for something that suits your needs. Whether you want something that can whiten your smile, or maybe your teeth are more sensitive–whatever the case may be, there are many types of toothpaste that can correspond with your brushing needs to keep your teeth healthy and strong.
Some of the most common types of toothpaste that can help increase your oral health include:
- Fluoride – Most recommended by dentists, can strengthen tooth enamel, and prevent cavities
- Whitening – Removes surface stains that cause yellow teeth to brighten them up
- Anti-plaque – Helps remove plaque build-up that can cause cavities, among other dental issues such as gum disease
- Desensitizing – For those with sensitive teeth, this toothpaste blocks tubules in the teeth that are more sensitive to hot or cold temperatures
- Natural – Avoid any type of artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors that could be harmful to the body, but may not contain fluoride
How Are Cavities Formed and How Can Brushing Your Teeth Stop Them?
Cavities and tooth decay can happen when you least expect it, so knowing the proper methods on how to brush your teeth are crucial!
Cavities are a pain to deal with, but it is important to get them filled by your dentist to avoid any other unnecessary issues with your oral health. Not only can cavities be very painful depending on the tooth decay, but they can be expensive to have fixed, which is why brushing your teeth is so important.
How Are Cavities Formed?
Many people know that not taking care of your teeth properly with a daily oral hygiene routine can be devastating on your teeth. Cavities can form very easily if you refrain from brushing, or even flossing or using mouthwash. Cavities are created whenever the bacteria in your mouth overproduces acid that can slowly erode the enamel of your teeth–which is needed to keep them strong and healthy. Food particles, especially those that are high in sugar and starch can stay on the teeth if you’re not brushing and the harmful bacteria in your mouth can break them down.
How Can Brushing Prevent Cavities?
Depending on the type of toothbrush you choose, they can significantly help to remove any plaque build-up on your teeth. By doing this twice a day, you’ll get rid of all of the food particles that may get stuck in your teeth, plus it dissolves the acid that the bacteria in your mouth produces. Brushing your teeth while also using a fluoride toothpaste can also strengthen your enamel and make it more resistant to cavities and tooth decay.
The Big Question: Can Toothpaste Reverse Cavities?
Brushing your teeth is an essential task to do every day, but knowing if it can also reverse the early onset of cavities is important!
Reversing cavities is something that many people are looking into. The start of tooth decay that is brought to your attention by your dentist can seem frightening, along with the thought of dealing with a painful cavity. Taking the necessary precautions when it comes to preventing tooth decay is crucial, but can just brushing your teeth alone prevent cavities?
Crucial Information About Brushing Your Teeth and its Inability to Reverse Cavities
While you may think that you are doing everything that you possibly can to prevent cavities, when one forms, it can be very discouraging. You’re brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing, and maybe even using mouthwash too, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. While many people believe that brushing your teeth alone can reverse cavities–it simply can’t.
Cavities are considered permanent damage once they are present and it can’t be reversed through brushing or even any at-home treatments. We understand that this can be extremely discouraging, but it’s important to keep at it when it comes down to brushing your teeth twice a day and following a strict oral health hygiene regimen to ensure that you have as little issues with your teeth as possible.
By using a fluoride toothpaste with brushing, you can continue to prevent any new cavities from forming, slow down the breakdown process of ones that you may currently have, and even remove that pesky plaque that can contribute to the deterioration of your enamel.
What to Do if You Suspect You Have a Cavity?
Do you have a specific tooth that is starting to feel sensitive to hot, cold, or even sweet food and drinks, pain, sensitivity, or notice visible holes in your teeth? This, among many other common symptoms, could be the start of a cavity, and it’s important to get an appointment with your dentist if you believe that you have one.
Once you’re at your dentist appointment, they will diagnose your teeth using dental x-rays to confirm if you have a cavity. They will then numb your tooth with anesthesia, remove the decay, thoroughly clean the area, and then fill it with a composite resin to block out any further decay.
It’s crucial to keep in mind too that early detection is key to avoid more severe treatments, such as a root canal and/or crowns.
Cavities are never fun–especially because of the pain that can come with them depending on the extent of tooth decay. It’s important to visit your dentist regularly–at least twice a year–brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, floss, and use mouthwash to ensure peak dental hygiene standards to prevent cavities.
If you’re in the Washington, PA area and are struggling with cavities, tooth decay, or have a nagging pain in your mouth––consider contacting Elizabeth L. Wakim—where exceptional smiles start here!
Dr. Elizabeth Wakim, DDS, is the founder of Enhanced Wellness. She’s a compassionate and highly-regarded dentist with her own practice in Washington, Pennsylvania, known for providing modern, comprehensive dental care, botox and facial aesthetics with a focus on patient comfort and anxiety reduction, serving general, cosmetic, and pediatric dentistry needs.
