How to get caries: do home remedies work?

How to get caries: do home remedies work?

At a young age, your dentist will remind you that good dental health begins with regular brushing your teeth and using dental floss. Unfortunately, the chances are good that despite your best intentions you will get tooth decay at some point in your life. According to the CDC, 90 % of adults aged 20 and over had caries at least once.

tooth decay is not the end of the world, but you have to be treated immediately by your dentist. Anne Clemons, DMD, explains how you can best keep your teeth in good shape and why there are no home remedies for caries.

can you get rid of caries at home?

The short answer is: No, the removal of caries at home is not recommended. It is even impossible, especially if the tooth decay has penetrated the dentin below the hard outer layer of melting of the tooth.

You can almost imagine the progress of caries as if Pac-Man Power pellets are munching. "The more sugar and carbohydrates eat the bacteria, the more acid they out and break down the tooth," says Dr. Clemons. "The larger the hole, the more likely it is that you need a filling. If the hole of the pulp facammer approaches, root canal treatment may be necessary.

"If the tooth decay is so big that it extends to the dentin, the inner surface of the tooth, you can no longer get rid of it," says Dr. Clemons. “In addition, the caries on the tooth surface progresses faster, so you shouldn't wait with the treatment at the dentist.

dr. However, Clemons says if a tooth decay "small and hardly penetrated into the tooth enamel" - something that is known as "watch" or what dentists call caries - you can take measures to prevent it from getting bigger. "If it is between the teeth, dentists recommend using dental floss to clean with fluoride -containing toothpaste and possibly use a fluoride -containing mouthwash to strengthen the enamel and prevent the tooth decay," she explains. "But once the tooth decay is larger than a clock glass -like lesion, it is more difficult to keep it in this size. It will probably be bigger over time."

In older adults who have many tooth decays - especially around their crowns - or for small children whose milk teeth will soon fail, dentists use according to Dr. Clemons occasionally silver diamy influoride (SDF). "The caries is stopped," she says. "The disadvantage is that it really color the tooth, which is not very appealing aesthetically. That is why we only use it for certain applications. It is also not suitable for larger or certain places of caries because we cannot get completely into the space, especially not between the teeth.

myths for the alleged removal of caries

When you search the Internet, you will find many people who claim that they know how to remove caries at home. Unfortunately, Dr. Clemons that the methods they propose do not work.

oil pulling

Although oil pulling - or the swiveling of coconut oil in the mouth - is not harmful, you don't get rid of caries. "It won't help," says Dr. Clemons. "A tooth decay is a hole in your tooth. You can't fill it by spilling coconut oil back and forth or using a DIY method from the Internet."

Additional intake of vitamin d

As a child, the sufficient supply of calcium and vitamin D is important so that the bones remain strong and grow. As an adult, taking additional vitamins does not necessarily help the teeth. "A tooth is like a bone, but it is not exactly as a bone," explains Dr. Clemons, "In addition, the teeth develop at a young age. They are fully trained as an adult. They will no longer grow or develop. We cannot rely on vitamins or nutritional supplements to strengthen their teeth or combat tooth decay," she adds.

sugar -free chewing gum

Sugar -free chewing gum does not help against caries, but offers other advantages - among other things, he keeps them away from snacking and carbohydrates, says Dr. Clemons. “If you belong to the sweet tooth and have something in your mouth, sugar -free chewing gum is a good alternative because you have no carbohydrates and sugar in your mouth.

how to prevent caries in the right way

In addition to brushing your teeth daily and the use of dental floss, Dr. Clemons these tips for healthier teeth.

try not to snack so often

"If we have a patient who has many caries, we talk about the frequency of his meals," she says. "If a patient often distributes snacks or drinks (which are not water) during the day, the bacteria can use these carbohydrates and acids all day long to form caries," says Dr. Clemons. As a good rule of thumb: stick to three meals a day and try to limit the snacks.

brush your teeth

If you tend to an afternoon snack, you should brush your teeth immediately afterwards. "You want to remove the food source for bacteria," says Dr. Clemons. "You want to bring your mouth back to a neutral pH, instead of an acidic pH value in which the bacteria thrive and produce more acid."

chew sugar -free chewing gum

Sugar -free chewing gum not only keeps it from snacking, but also stimulates her salivation. "Saliva protects the teeth from the formation of caries," says Dr. Clemons. “It has a neutral pH value, and caries caused by bacteria are active in an acidic environment.

you don't just rely on mouthwashers when cleaning your teeth

It is not a sure way to prevent caries by simply swinging a little mouthwash in your mouth and then taking work. Instead, you have to make sure that you remove all the food and the plaque that has formed between your teeth. "Mundwater can be a helpful addition to some patients, but it is not a replacement for cleaning the teeth with brush and dental floss," emphasizes Dr. Clemons. “Mundwater cannot take on the task of physically removing plaque and bacteria.

go to the dentist

If you feel that caries forms, you should go to the dentist sooner than later. If you let caries progress, this can lead to major problems.

"" One day you can get such severe pain that you can no longer sleep at night and that this pain radiates in your jaw, "says Dr. Clemons. "And then the cavity probably reached the pulp of the tooth where the nerve and blood supply are. This can be painful. As a rule, a dentist is called, who has to make an appointment for root canal treatment or a tooth extraction."

The best way to avoid such a moment is to go to the dentist twice a year, to brush your teeth twice a day and use daily floss every day.
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