Help avoiding more cavities

[Dani27]

So I had not been to the dentist in 10 years and honestly was neglecting teeth in general mostly brushing just in the morning. At first I didn't have dental insurance and couldn't afford it but once that changed I had developed immense anxiety around going to the dentist and waited 3 years.

I finally worked up the courage and went last week! It was hard but also not nearly as bad as I had built it up to be. I have 2 cavities that need to be filled and one very old filling needs to be replaced as well as will be going for a deep clean.

My dentist said I had about 5 other teeth that are on "watch" but will not necessarily turn into full blown cavities that require fillings. I am now being sure to brush twice a day and floss. Does anyone else have any tips to avoid cavities from progressing and remineralize your teeth? I am really committed to turning around my dental health but am afraid that if every time I go for a cleaning I need more cavities filled I am going to get freaked out again and my anxiety might beat me out. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Molar_bear]

Hi dani,

First of all a warm welcome to the forum. Well done for taking the steps to start your dental journey. Sounds like it took a lot of courage to go to the appointment so we’ll done you must be so Proud of yourself.
You are in the right place as most of on here also have a lot of anxiety around going to the dentist and can share our experiences and tips.

So happy to her it was not as bad as you expected. It almost never is ? but I know I’m guilty of working myself expecting the worst.

I think general good oral hygiene is a good start. So flossing and brushing. I personally now try to avoid acidic drinks or too much sugar as I needed few fillingsAnd had a watched tooth!

Hopefully people maybe able to provide more detailed tips than me as I’m
Not to sure about remineralising teeth etc ?

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Dani27, we’ve got a page with tips for stopping cavities from getting worse here:

How to prevent and stop tooth decay

Find out how to prevent tooth decay and how to stop existing decay from getting worse.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

There’s also a great infographic but I don’t have it on my mobile- will post it tomorrow. Congratulations on going back despite the anxiety ?

 

[39male]

I was the same way in my early adulthood brushing in the morning only.

I now floss immediately after any meal. Switched from satin floss to unwaxed floss to capture more food bits. Then use mouth wash after the meal no more than twice a day.

Now I brush every morning and at night before sleeping. Used to fully rinse with water after brushing. I felt my teeth were weak and brittle before, but the biggest help to make my teeth strong is not rinsing after brushing. I merely spit out the toothpaste. This helps flouride to remineralize teeth just like floride in mouthwash.

One caveat: never brush until at least 30 mins after eating or you can brush off your weak enamel.

Any advice from others would be helpful for both of us.

 

[Dani27]

I was the same way in my early adulthood brushing in the morning only.

I now floss immediately after any meal. Switched from satin floss to unwaxed floss to capture more food bits. Then use mouth wash after the meal no more than twice a day.

Now I brush every morning and at night before sleeping. Used to fully rinse with water after brushing. I felt my teeth were weak and brittle before, but the biggest help to make my teeth strong is not rinsing after brushing. I merely spit out the toothpaste. This helps flouride to remineralize teeth just like floride in mouthwash.

One caveat: never brush until at least 30 mins after eating or you can brush off your weak enamel.

Any advice from others would be helpful for both of us.

I usually rinse my mouth with water after brushing so will definitely stop doing that 2
Thank you for sharing and for the tips!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Dani27

First off , just want to say For getting up the courage and going to the dentist after taking a little time off.. I think so many of us take breaks for many different reasons, but you are back on and it took great courage to do so! So all the credit for doing that!!

I know I have not always been the best at hygeine the first part of my life but recently last few years trying to stick with the flossing and make sure I follow up on anything needed that I can..sometimes we can't always get our full dental wish list done either right way, just take a step at a time. you are doing amazing!!

My dentist prescribed me a prescription flouride toothpaste that helped protect and maybe remineralize? anyways. so glad you are here and beating your dental anxiety!

 

[letsconnect]

Here's the infographic I was looking for. The key to avoiding cavities is diet, i.e. not eating carbohydrates (sugars) too frequently and giving your teeth a chance to remineralise in between eating or drinking things that contain sugars.