Stress and Bacteria Equals Cavities

The Best Health Care Policy 

All doctors – of dentistry, family practice, cardiology, or any other medical field will agree – the best health care policy is prevention. If you want to prevent heart disease, you should maintain a healthy weight, and keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and stress levels low. If you want to prevent cavities and periodontal disease, you should have regular check-ups, and immediately treat any cavities.   Doctors don’t know exactly why some patients develop heart disease and others with the same lifestyle do not, but we do know how patients develop cavities – stress and bacteria. We can’t reduce the stress in your life (except by making sure you have a comfortable and pleasant dental visit), but we can most definitely help you manage the bacteria in your mouth that can promote the formation and growth of cavities.

Prevention Tips

Preventing the need for extensive dental and periodontal care isn’t that difficult if you follow the same advice we give you every time you come in to the office. Brush after eating or drinking, learn and use the most effective brushing technique (preferably with a power toothbrush), floss regularly, use fluoride toothpaste and cut back on sugary drinks. And don’t put off your check-ups. Because like anything else in life, the sooner you address any incipient problems, the less serious they will become, and the easier and more cost-effective it is to repair them.

Cavity Danger

There are no benefits to letting cavities “ripen”.  Any more than it makes good sense to let termites attack your house without taking action.  They do get worse, and the bacteria that is producing them is now in your mouth permanently. I use the analogy that by letting a cavity exist, you have “opened the gates to the castle” of your mouth. The cavity works through the dental layer of your tooth, which is more vascular, and this bacteria is now introduced into your blood stream.  This isn’t a situation that is going to get better or even stay static. Cavities, when treated promptly, require a quicker and more affordable procedure than the more complicated and costly repairs of a root canal, or worse, losing the tooth all together.  This is an established fact of medicine.  If you don’t treat a wound properly and quickly it will become infected. A cavity is a similar assault to your body, just not as painful or visible. 

Stress Reduction

So back to the culprits – stress and bacteria. We can help you fight the bacteria, and treat your cavities before they become more serious conditions. And we can even offer some stress reducing hints – take a walk, have a bath, take a nap, read a good book, volunteer, pet your dog, kiss your kid. Whatever you decide…it helps to take a couple deep breaths and always, count your blessings!