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I recently visited an orphanage in northern Mexico to provide dental treatment to some children in need. Some kids had little or no cavities, while others had significant problems with their teeth. For the most part, teeth are teeth, despite what ethnicity or nationality they are. The principles involved in the dental cavity are all the same. My experience there reminded me that dental cavities have everything to do with the types of foods and drinks people eat, how well the teeth are kept clean, and what people know about their teeth.

It seems we’ve been told all of our lives that we should brush and floss after every meal. This is ingrained in us to the point where we instruct our little ones, even if we don’t do it ourselves. Why aren’t we more diligent in cleaning and flossing our own teeth? Maybe it’s a matter of education. Maybe we just don’t really know why it is important to clean our teeth after every meal. Let’s shed some light on what goes on in our mouths, and take a “behind the scenes” look at what makes a cavity happen.

First, teeth are strong, very, very strong. The enamel on our teeth is the hardest substance in our body. Think of enamel as a block of ice. That’s pretty hard. There are a couple of ways to break that block of ice, but also ice can “soften” or “melt.” The greatest enemy to ice is heat. Heat will begin to break down the chemical bonds that hold that block of ice together. If you remove the heat, the chemical bonds are formed again and the ice solidifies. When the chemical bonds break down, it’s much easier to break that piece of ice until it is no longer ice.

With teeth, acid is the main enemy. Most people think that chocolate, or candy is the enemy to teeth. So let’s break down the myth of sugar, and see sugar’s real role in tooth cavities.

There are three factors that must be present at the same time to cause a cavity.

• Certain kinds of bacteria
• Fermentable carbohydrates
• Time

If one ore more of these factors are missing, then cavities do not occur. Here’s how it works:

All humans have bacteria in their mouths. There are certain types of bacteria that start cavities, and then other bacteria that exploit cavities. Bacteria like to live in a little world of their own—a biofilm—on our teeth. Bacteria will also, given a long enough time, create their own lodging called dental plaque and calculus. Inside of this little world, bacteria are bathed and nurtured by the microscopic elements of the foods we eat, mostly fermentable carbohydrates. This type of carbohydrate is the sugars found in milk, apple juice, soda, grapes, chocolate, ketchup, Gatorade, and so on. Any foods with sugars such as glucose, sucrose or lactose enable bacteria to thrive. As we eat meals and excrete waste, the bacteria also process the sugars in our meals and excrete acids. Remember, acid is the greatest enemy to enamel on our teeth, particularly the acid produced by certain bacteria.

Now, here’s a little information about acids. pH is the unit of measurement used to determine a substance’s acidity. We typically think of pH having to do with how acidic something is. A substance with equal parts acids and bases is neutral and its pH number is 7.0. Water is neutral and has a pH of 7.0. The lower the number of the pH from neutral tells us how acidic the substance is. Tomato juice has a pH of 4.1, Pepsi has a pH of 2.4, and stomach acid has a pH of 2.0.

The enamel on teeth has minerals with chemical bonds that make it very resistant to acids. However, when the pH of saliva—normally neutral at 7.0—drops below 5.5, then the saliva becomes acidicthe enamel bonds start to break down. This is the demineralization of the tooth before the cavity. Remember the ice block I mentioned earlier? Acids are to teeth like heat is to ice. The longer the teeth bath in the acidic saliva, the more the teeth break down and cavities form. If you remove the acids, the teeth will re-mineralize and strengthen. This cyclical process can occur repeatedly throughout a day, a week, a month, and years!

Again, three factors must be present, and when they are present together, here’s how they cause a cavity. The bacteria in our mouth feed on the fermentable carbohydrate, or sugar, we just ate. Certain bacteria process this sugar and excrete damaging acids. The more acids they excrete the more acidic our saliva becomes. If the saliva’s pH drops below 5.5, and remains there for over twenty minutes, teeth start to break down and become susceptible to cavities. Cavities untreated lead to pain and nerve exposures which leads to quality of life issues and costly dental treatment to restore or replace damaged teeth.

Remember being told to brush after every meal? Now you see why! By brushing your teeth you are removing the fermentable carbohydrates, disrupting the living rooms of bacteria, and starting the twenty minute clock all over. But you don’t have to brush to accomplish this. By simply swishing water after a particularly sugary meal or drink, you rinse your teeth of the sugars. Also, water neutralizes the acidic pH of your sugary saliva. Once the saliva pH returns to neutral, the cavity clock starts all over. This removes two of the three factors necessary for tooth decay—fermentable carbohydrates and time.

Finally, tips to avoid cavities. Brush and floss your teeth often. This removes both bacteria and food. When you eat or drink fermentable carbohydrates, try to do it quickly, in less than twenty minutes. This keeps the cavity clock from starting. Always remember to rinse your mouth with water after meals and drinks if you cannot brush. This will neutralize the acids in your mouth. Nightly, rinse your teeth with an anti-cavity or fluoride rinse. This will help rebuild tooth structure that was broken down throughout the day. Take care of your teeth and your teeth will take care of you!

Full coverage dental insurance is a type of insurance, which is a bit similar to medical insurance. This insurance is not like the general discount plans and does not cover everything, but it definitely saves a lot of money. In the first year, majority of the plans demands the insurance holder to pay out of pocket. The insurance puffs up more and more as according to time; that is, if an insurance coverage is of 10% in the first year, it kicks to 30% to 50% in the respective next years. Full coverage dental insurance does not entertain any discounts as discount plans decrease the coverage time.

Even with the best form of insurance coverage, there are many things that remain uncovered:

• Most part of the cosmetic dentistry and orthodontia are not included.
• The system needs one to pay a premium and then the insurance provider bears the payments necessary for the required dental treatments.
• The higher is the premium and deductibles, the lower is the risk.

But, one can definitely save a lot of money in cases of general treatments like fillings, root canals, crowns and extractions.

Full coverage dental insurance works generally by an agreement. A client selects the desired dental insurance company and the desired plan. There are certain companies, who provide expensive dental coverage plans which covers majority of the dental problems. However, even the best plan in the town requires the client to pay at least some amount for the dentistry. Most of the insurance provider companies provide the following levels of benefits:

• Basic Dental Care: In this level, most providers generally pays for the dental care that is most likely to be diagnosed thereby preventing future dental problems e.g. checkups, cleanings, and other dental therapy. This level of coverage is the most commonly available among the topmost dental insurance plans. Since this plan covers majority of the problems and acts as a preventive measure to more expensive treatments, it is also very popular
• Minor Dental Care: Most of the insurance companies also pay for some basic care. If a person suffers from cavities, the provider usually includes root canals and other common procedures within the plan. If the insurance provider pays, they only bear a part of the cost and the rest depends on the shoulder of the insurance holder. There are only a few companies that bear the entire expenditure for minor dental treatments.

In today’s world it is definitely reassuring to possess a full coverage dental insurance which makes one capable to afford a dental treatment.

You might not realize it, but flossing your teeth is often considered nearly as important as brushing them is by many dental professionals. You should do everything you can to make it a part of your every day dental routine, as this plays a very important role in maintaining the overall health of your mouth and your gums. Let’s go into a few of the reasons that flossing is important for you, as it’s important for you to know these things. Hopefully this will inspire you to make sure that you do in fact floss your teeth each day!

First of all, flossing your teeth removes plaque buildup from your teeth. Think about it. If foods stay within the crevices of your teeth for long periods of time, they’ll eventually begin to form plaque on your teeth. No one likes the look of plaque, not to mention the fact that it’s not good for you. Floss your teeth every day and you’ll minimize the presence of plaque.

Flossing also keeps the gum healthy. This is a major means of preventing gum diseases and conditions like gingivitis, as the food that stays within your teeth can easily lead to gum irritation if it’s there for long enough.

Lastly, flossing every day will help to limit bad breath in your mouth. Think about foods that just sit there for days anywhere. Would you keep a piece of dead meat on your kitchen counter for a few weeks? Then why do it in your mouth? That’s what you’re effectively doing if you don’t floss!