A child who boasts about having only one cavity is the content of one TV commercial that gives us a view of the poor state of the nation's dental health. Even if the child has scheduled trips to the dentist, he would end up with a bunch of cavities when he reaches 21.

The existence of cavities is rampant. Why this is so is a result of many different reasons. Whole families may have cases of bad teeth for no apparent reason. You need to exercise dental hygiene despite your grandfather's good dental history. He may have resided in a place where they had fluoridated water. He hardly ate anything sweet between meals. Salt water and tooth powder were probably his tools in keeping his teeth clean.

A number of options may be undertaken by you. You can make a petition for the local government to fluoridate the water supply. Research shows that the presence of cavities is cut by half when children drink fluoridated water. Fluoridation is safe, economical, and even helpful to those who are prone to developing bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

It is advisable to cut down on food with a lot of sugar. Avoid eating food that may contain sugar in sticky forms. Plaque on the surface of teeth and in the crevices between teeth is the starting phase for dental cavities. The plaque harbors bacteria that produce acid and that's what corrodes the teeth. The acid producing bacteria relies on table sugar for its favorite food known as dextran.

Research reveals that dental caries hardly becomes a problem if sugar is consumed during a meal rather than between meals. Recently, British moms have been giving babies pacifiers containing sweet syrup. If you don't believe this, you should hear about a particular case in the medical world that might get you convinced.

Hereditary fructose intolerance, a kind of disease, may cause problems for certain families. These people become violently sick when they eat fructose that is, fruit sugar or sucrose table sugar even though they can eat starchy foods which contain glucose only. These victims keep away from food with sucrose. They may eat a lot of carbohydrate rich foods, but they don't have many cavities.

Refined food and starches do not account for the existence of cavities, but sugar does. The gums and teeth are sensitive to your nutritional well being. Your dental health and tooth formation will be improved as long as you take your vitamins and minerals. Eating harder foods would actually benefit your teeth and gums.

Visits to the dentist and brushing of teeth after meals are obviously needed, as we now see. Pain, large expenses, and missing teeth could be what you are in for in the future.

About Author / Additional Info:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/braces-sydney-how-to-choose-your-orthodontist.html