Why do I always seem to have cavities?!

That’s a phrase that is commonly heard by dentists. Is it always the patients fault? No necessarily! Let’s break down how you get decay in your teeth.

Teeth are made up of a very hard material called Hydroxyapatite, which is the hardest material in the body. Coincidentally it lives in one of the harshest environments of the body. The process of tooth decay isn’t a linear process, it’s actually very dynamic. When you eat something, mainly sugar or carbs, bacteria feeds on it and secretes acids, which lowers your pH, and that causes the hydroxyapatite to start to break down. When you stop eating, your saliva, which has buffering minerals, starts to raise the pH again to make it more neutral or basic, which causes it to remineralize. As long as the breakdown only happens on the outside of the tooth, which is called enamel, you can remineralize the tooth.

Over time if your mouth stays in a more acidic environment the hydroxyapatite breaks down enough to where you get into the inner part of the tooth, called dentin, that’s when dentistry will need to be done. 

Why does it seem like some people have it happen to them more often? Genetics can actually play a role. Some people have less buffering capacity in their saliva and have more/different forms of bacteria. The other is based on diet and homecare. Having a diet full of complex carbs and drinking lots of sugary drinks makes an environment for decay. Homecare is not only how often you brush/floss but how effective that you do it. Using an electric toothbrush is much more effective for cleaning teeth. The amount of water you drink vastly changes the buffering ability of your saliva. It’s good practice to swish with water every time you finish eating something sugary or high in carbs. 

If decay is a problem for you, try to make an effort to eat less sugars, choose water over sugary drinks, focus on good home health care. Doing those things will help you stay away from expensive dentistry!