Are you one of the people that have never had a cavity in your lifetime, or are you the person that feels lucky to only have a few cavities at each dental visit? So what's the difference between the "no-cavity" person and the multiple cavity person? In general the "no-cavity" person has reduced risk factors compared to those who need a lot of dental treatment. These risk factors can include hereditary factors, dietary factors, anatomic factors and personal habits. There isn't necessarily a single reason that will put you at risk for dental problems. It is almost always a combination.
- The grooves in your back teeth, or molars, can be deep or shallow. This is determined by genes. People with deeper grooves are at a much greater risk to develop cavities in the grooves, or chewing surface of the teeth.
- You almost always get your oral bacteria from your mother. If she suffered from a lot of cavities and gum disease, you probably inherited the same troublesome oral bacteria.
- If you have reduced saliva flow, or dry mouth, you are more likely to have dental problems. Reduced saliva flow can come with age, illness, and is a side-effect of some medications.
- If you grind your teeth you are much more likely to have dental problems. Most tooth grinding takes place while you sleep. Tooth damage depends on how hard and how often you grind your teeth. Your level of stress, size of your jaw and chewing muscles can influence tooth grinding.
- Your diet also has a lot to do with dental problems. If you eat a lot of sticky, sugary foods, drink a lot of sugary drinks or consume a lot between meal snacks your dental problems can increase. The oral bacteria turn sugar into acid and that acid causes cavities. If you eat a lot of acidic foods this can cause the enamel to errode as well.
If you brush correctly and often you are less likely to have cavities. If you are a regular flossser your gums will be more healthy and you will have less cavities. You can control a few of these factors and there are things you can do to change the hereditary factors. You can have dental sealants placed to fill in the deep grooves, wear a bite splint to alleviate nighttime grinding, and control your diet. If you are a "Look Mom - no cavities" person that is awesome. Everyone tries to be just like you! Does this mean you do not need to visit your dental office as frequently ? No, it does not. Your dental history makes you a lower risk for dental problems, but things can change and finding a problem while it is small or much better than finding it later, or too late.
- Medication changes can cause changes in your mouth. Dry mouth is a side-effect of many medications.
- Changes in your diet effect your mouth and can cause dental problems to start occuring.
- Aging. Unfortunately we all get older. Your natural saliva flow decrease as you age and medications usually increase causing changes in your oral bacteria and further reducing saliva flow. This increases your risk for tooth decay.
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