Decay - here to stay?

[frivolous_fay]

Sorry, a really stupid question here.

2nd checkup with my new dentist this week - she's set me up to see the hygienist, and also mentioned there's a tooth she'd like to keep an eye on.

I put an eye on it myself last night - gave it a good flossing, and she's right... there's definitely a touch of black in between the teeth :(

Is it a drill-and-fill or is there anything I can do (belatedly) to improve things myself once decay has begun?

[Toothsmith]

Not a stupid question at all, but I think the dentist should have given you a bit more info here.

Yes - teeth can heal and evidence shows that under ideal conditions even quite big cavities can harden up again. ( Note - just harden up. New tooth will not grow back again, just the broken down bit will harden over.)

Teeth go soft and decay because of a reaction between bugs living on the teeth and in the mouth, and the sugar you feed them.

Bugs digest the sugar, and their waste product is acid. This acid dissolves the tooth substance, and when the dissolved layer gets deep enough, bacteria invade the softened tooth structure and the rot accelerates.

In between sugar attacks, there is plenty of calcium and other toothy substances within the saliva. If given long enough to work before more sugar comes washing along, these substances can harden up the tooth structure damaged by the previous acid attack.

So - by keeping sugar attacks a good 4-5 hours apart (Eat sugary stuff only at mealtimes, and if you need anything to eat or drink between meals make sure it's sugar free), your tiny cavity could easily harden up and not require filling at all.

Keeping it clean will also help and if you don't rinse out your mouth after toothbrushing, then the fluoride in the toothpaste will stick to your teeth for longer, and help to fix it.

This is especially true at night, when your salivary glands slow down, so the toothpaste could be stuck to your teeth for even longer.

[frivolous_fay]

Wow, very comprehensive, thank you :) Would you suggest avoiding acidic food / drink as well as sugar?

[Toothsmith]

Not as harmful - tends to cause errosion rather than decay if taken too often.

Again, perfectly safe at mealtimes, but watch it in between.