Genes Responsible For Teeth Cavities?

Dental cavities have been around as long as humans have had teeth. In simple terms, a cavity is a hole caused by bacteria in your mouth producing acid, which eats away at the outer layer of your tooth. The bacteria feed on sugar, which is why a high sugar diet has been shown to cause more cavities.

There are many layers present in a tooth. The enamel is the hard, white outer layer. Dentin is the yellowish, slight softer layer underneath. The innermost part of the tooth is called the nerve or the “pulp”. A healthy “pulp” is completely sterile. If a cavity allows the bacteria in your mouth to travel to the center or “pulp” of your tooth, it can get infected and cause lots of problems.

When your dentist does an examination, he or she is checking for many things. The examination should include a check for mouth cancer and jaw problems, in addition to the normal check for cavities. Cavities in between the teeth can be seen on the dental radiograph x-ray even if they’re relatively small. Most cavities start on the tops of the back molar teeth, where the tooth has the deepest grooves. When food gets stuck in these grooves, the acid producing bacteria go to work. (Get more dental tips from the Dentist Scottsdale).

The old notion was that cavities were only caused by not brushing and flossing teeth good enough. Hygienists would discipline patients to take better care of their teeth to prevent cavities. Well, now we know that the reasons people get cavities are not so simple. Genetics play a major role in the likelihood of developing cavities regardless of brushing and flossing.

Interestingly enough, the amount of acid-producing bateria in our saliva is different from others. Having many cavities can be attributed to having a lot of acid producing salivary bacteria.

So what can we do with this information? Well, our hygienists and we dentists are not going to give up our “brush and floss” mantra so easily. Preventing cavities is best done this way.

One remedy for preventing cavities by activating saliva and cleaning teeth is chewing sugarless gum between meals. Another remedy to keep teeth clean is to maintain a diet low in sugar and high in fiber.

It is important to realize that your diet may not be the cause of the cavities, but rather it’s your genes!


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