How to protect teeth from caries

The best way to combat cavities is to follow few simple steps: 

• Cut down on sweets and in between meals and snacks.
• Brush after every meal and floss daily. Cavities mostly occur in areas which are hard to clean viz. between gaps in teeth and in the pits & fissures and pits.
• Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush inside, outside and between your teeth and on the top of your tongue. Be sure the bristles are firm, not bent, and replace the toothbrush after a few weeks to safeguard against re-infecting your mouth with old bacteria than can collect on the brush.
• Children under six should only use a small pea-sized dab of toothpaste on the brush and should spit out as much as possible because a child’s developing teeth are sensitive to higher fluoride levels.
• Caries is a transmittable disease, toothbrushes should never be shared.
• Visit your dentist once every six months for checkups and professional cleanings.
• If you get a painful toothache, if your teeth are very sensitive to hot or cold foods, or if you notice signs of decay like white spots, tooth discolorations or cavities, make an appointment with your dentist right away. The longer you wait to treat infected teeth the more intensive and lengthier the treatment will be.
• Left neglected, cavities can lead to root canal infection, permanent deterioration of decayed tooth substance and even loss of the tooth itself.