Thai dental product and services continue to evolve, giving you plenty of reasons to regularly visit your dentist. Yet despite doing so and following best practices in oral care, you experience more teeth problems than most people. There are perfectly good explanations for this.
Dental Factors
There are several elements at play when you’re more prone to cavities than some people.
- You’re more likely to have tooth decay when the density of your teeth’s enamel is weaker or thinner.
- Plaque build-up is more likely to happen because of misaligned teeth, overcrowded and crooked teeth, and deep grooves in your teeth.
- Age and the associated changes in oral and dental health can contribute to tooth decay and cavities. Gums of older adults, for example, recede and expose the root of the tooth that doesn’t have enamel’s protective coating.
- The enamel in children’s teeth is thin and developing. Combined with poor hygiene habits, children are likely to have cavities.
Nutrition, Hydration, and Eating Frequency
Did you know that there are best and worst foods for your teeth? But that’s not all.
- Saliva plays an important role in keeping your teeth healthy, from washing away food debris to neutralising acids. Dehydration and medication, however, can reduce saliva flow, increasing the risks of cavities.
- There are different bacteria in your mouth, some of which feed on sugar and starchy foods to produce acids that attack and weaken enamel.
- Citrus, sodas, and other acidic foods and beverages can negatively impact the integrity of your teeth’s enamel.
- The modern diet, particularly processed foods, has been linked to poor oral health. The added sugar of processed food not only increases calories but also results in compulsive overeating.
- Frequent snacking or eating of foods, especially those high in added sugar, not only feeds the acid-producing bacteria in your mouth but also prevents saliva from neutralising the acids produced.
Genetics
Certain generic factors make you more susceptible to a lot of tooth problems.
- As previously mentioned, there are bacteria in the mouth that are both good and bad for your teeth. Some people have more of the bad bacteria than the good ones.
- There are genetic factors that influence how your teeth will erupt, the size, shape and quantity.
- You may be one of the unlucky few with a weaker enamel, so even the slightest exposure to acids will demineralise your teeth faster.
It’s important to know that there’s no one genetic factor that is associated with higher cavity susceptibility, but rather a mix of genetic factors.
Medical and Environmental Factors
- Certain medications can hinder saliva flow, which you already know is essential to neutralising acids in the mouth. The same is true for medications that cause dry mouth, such as antihistamines and those that lower blood pressure.
- Lack of access to fluoridated water and living with heavy industrial pollution contribute to brittle teeth and osteoporosis.
- Lack of access to dental care or good nutrition contributes to cavities and other oral problems.
- Hormonal changes have also been linked to changes in the pH or composition of saliva, although there aren’t a lot of studies supporting this.
Achieving a bright, white smile doesn’t have to be complicated, but it helps to know that your susceptibility to dental problems may be caused by factors beyond your control. You just need to double your efforts in maintaining oral health, including visiting a dentist equipped with the high-quality tools from W&H Tech.
