Assess your cavity risk level - Delta Dental Insurance

Keep up the good work maintaining your healthy habits. Visit your dentist regularly for an exam and cleaning and continue brushing and flossing every day to maintain your healthy smile.

You’re at risk for cavities. Make an appointment to see your dentist soon to discuss your concerns about your risk for tooth decay and get a professional risk assessment.

Here are the top ways you can fight cavities and lower your risk level:

Brush and floss

Plaque is a soft, sticky film that builds up on teeth and contains millions of bacteria. If plaque and food are not removed daily through brushing and flossing, the bacteria in plaque feed on sugars in your food and produce acids, which can cause tooth decay and cavities.

Be sure to brush at least twice a day for two to three minutes with fluoride toothpaste, and floss at least once a day. Use proper brushing technique with the head of your toothbrush placed at a 45-degree angle to the gumline and look for an ADA-approved toothpaste that contains fluoride.

See your dentist

You should visit your dentist regularly for an exam and cleaning.

Use the power of fluoride

Fluoride, a mineral naturally found in low concentrations in many foods and water, helps to prevent tooth decay by:

• Making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from the bacteria that live in the plaque on your teeth
• Promoting remineralization of the tooth
• Inhibiting the bacteria that cause tooth decay

Fluoride is both safe and effective. It’s important to brush your teeth at least twice every day with a fluoridated toothpaste. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride levels in the community water supply to the optimum level to protect oral health. By simply drinking tap water in communities with a fluoridated water supply, you can benefit from fluoride's protection from decay.

Avoid sugary and starchy foods

When you eat, you supply sugars to the bacteria that live in your mouth. Although you may already know that sugars are found in sweet foods, you may not know that starchy, non-sweet foods such as pasta, rice and bread quickly break down into sugars in your mouth. If you snack, choose your foods wisely. Some foods like peanuts and cheeses may actually help prevent tooth decay. Other foods, such as crispy fruit and raw, crunchy vegetables, can help to clean the teeth.

Be sure to brush and floss after snacking or at least rinse your mouth with water. Talk to your dentist about what you can do to make your eating habits more tooth-friendly and look for when it comes time to prepare snacks and meals.

Chew xylitol gum

Because xylitol looks and tastes like sugar, it’s sometimes used as a sugar substitute in foods and candies. Xylitol reduces tooth decay and plaque formation because the bacteria in your mouth can't feed on xylitol like they feed on sugars. Also, chewing gum or sucking on mints stimulates the flow of saliva, which washes away food particles.

Check the package to see if xylitol is an ingredient in your gum or mints.

Fight dry mouth

Saliva is an important ally in the fight against cavities. It helps wash away food particles, neutralize the acids in your mouth and add important minerals back to teeth. Dry mouth has a number of causes, including the use of recreational, over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

If you have dry mouth, try using sugar-free candy or chewing sugar-free gum to help your mouth produce more saliva. Sipping water frequently or using an over-the-counter saliva substitute may also help.

Avoid recreational drug use and monitor the effects of medications

Recreational drug use is the use of drugs for recreation rather than for approved medical purposes. Although this term is often applied to the use of illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine, it can also apply to the non-medicinal use of legal prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

People who use drugs recreationally often suffer from severe tooth decay. Be aware: even over-the-counter and prescription medications may affect your oral health because they can cause dry mouth. If you take any over-the-counter or prescription medications, check with your dentist, physician or pharmacist to see if your medication may affect your oral health.

Your score indicates that you are at high risk for cavities. Visit your dentist as soon as possible for an exam and a professional risk evaluation for tooth decay.

Here are some ways you can take action to prevent cavities and lower your risk level:

Brush and floss

Be sure to brush at least twice a day for two to three minutes with fluoride toothpaste, and floss at least once a day. Use proper brushing technique with the head of your toothbrush placed at a 45-degree angle to the gumline.

Plaque, soft, sticky film that builds up on teeth, can be colorless and difficult to see. If plaque and food are not removed daily through brushing and flossing, the bacteria in plaque will feed on sugars in your food and produce acids, which can cause tooth decay and cavities. To see plaque more easily, you can use a disclosing tablet or solution with a few drops of food coloring in two ounces of water. This temporarily stains the plaque so you can see it more easily. You can then brush and floss until the stain is gone. You can find disclosing tablets in a drugstore or get some from your dentist.

Because braces, retainers, partial dentures and other dental appliances trap food particles and plaque against the teeth and gums, they can increase your risk for tooth decay. They can also make it more difficult to brush and floss properly.

If you wear braces, retainers or partial dentures, be sure to brush thoroughly after meals and snacks. If your appliance is removable (like a retainer or partial denture), you should remove it and brush it carefully each time you brush your teeth. Disinfect your appliance weekly by using an over-the-counter denture cleanser.

There are many oral care products on the market designed especially for people with braces or partial dentures to help you keep your teeth clean. Ask your dentist if any of these products might be helpful for you.

See your dentist

Since you’re at high risk for cavities, you should see your dentist for an exam as soon as possible. The evaluation may include:

• A bacterial test
• Measurement of saliva flow
• Review of your medications
• Evaluation of your dietary and oral hygiene habits

If you are confirmed to be at risk, your dentist may do any of the following:

• Professionally clean your teeth
• Provide instructions on good oral hygiene habits
• Provide instructions on a healthy diet
• Recommend the use of xylitol gum or candy
• Prescribe a high-fluoride toothpaste
• Prescribe a fluoride or antibacterial mouth rinse
• Apply fluoride to your teeth
• Place sealants on your teeth

Moving forward, you should visit your dentist regularly for an exam and cleaning. Regular dental visits are important even if you don’t notice a problem. Remember: By the time you notice something is wrong or have pain, the problem could be far more serious than it would have been if a dentist had caught it earlier.

Use the power of fluoride

Fluoride, a mineral naturally found in low concentrations in many foods and water, helps to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride:

• Makes a tooth more resistant to acid attacks from the bacteria that live in the plaque on your teeth
• Promotes remineralization of the tooth
• Inhibits the bacteria that cause tooth decay

Fluoride is both safe and effective.

Check to make sure your toothpaste contains fluoride

It's important to brush your teeth at least twice every day with a fluoridated toothpaste. The label on your toothpaste will indicate whether fluoride is an ingredient. You should also check for the ADA (American Dental Association) Seal of Approval to ensure that your toothpaste contains the proper amount of fluoride. If it doesn't contain fluoride, consider switching. Likewise, check the label of your mouth rinse to see if fluoride is an ingredient. If it's not fluoridated, consider switching.

Ask your dentist about additional fluoride

Talk to your dentist about the safe, decay-preventing properties of fluoride and ask if additional fluoride might be right for you. Your dentist may suggest an over-the-counter fluoride rinse or an in-office fluoride treatment. Your dentist can also prescribe a fluoride gel or mouth rinse that you can use at home.

Get fluoride from your water

Water fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride levels in the community water supply to the optimum level to protect oral health. By simply drinking tap water in communities with a fluoridated water supply, you can benefit from fluoride's protection from decay. (The easiest and most accurate way to find out if your community's water is fluoridated is to contact your local water company and ask.)

If you live in a community without fluoridated water, or if most of your water comes in the form of bottled water, you are missing out on the valuable fluoride found in tap water. In most cases, the fluoride concentrations in bottled water (even in some that are fluoridated) fall below the U.S. government's recommended range of 0.7–1.2 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride, the ideal range to prevent cavities. If you drink mostly bottled water, talk to your dentist about fluoride supplements (tablets or drops), fluoride mouth rinses and topical fluoride gels.

Avoid sugary and starchy foods

When you eat, you supply sugars to the bacteria that live in your mouth. When the bacteria feed on these sugars, they produce acid, which dissolves the tooth's outer layer and leads to tooth decay.

Although you may already know that sugars are found in sweet foods, you may not know that starchy, non-sweet foods such as pasta, rice and bread quickly break down into sugars in your mouth.

If you snack, choose your foods wisely. Some foods like peanuts and cheeses may actually help prevent tooth decay. Other foods, such as crispy fruit and raw, crunchy vegetables, can help to clean the teeth.

Be sure to brush and floss after snacking or at least rinse your mouth with water. Talk to your dentist about what you can do to make your eating habits more tooth-friendly. And look for tooth-friendly recipes when it comes time to prepare snacks and meals.

Chew xylitol gum

Because xylitol looks and tastes like sugar, it’s sometimes used as a sugar substitute in foods and candies. Xylitol reduces tooth decay and plaque formation because the bacteria in your mouth can't feed on xylitol like they feed on sugars. Also, chewing gum or sucking on mints stimulates the flow of saliva, which washes away food particles.

If you often have gum, mints or candies, check the package to see if xylitol is an ingredient, and switch out high-sugar treats with those that contain xylitol.

Fight dry mouth

Saliva is an important ally in the fight against cavities. It helps wash away food particles, neutralize the acids in your mouth and add important minerals back to teeth.

Dry mouth has a number of causes, including the use of recreational, over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Dry mouth can also result from a number of medical conditions.

If you have dry mouth, try using sugar-free candy or chewing sugar-free gum to help your mouth produce more saliva. Sipping water frequently or using an over-the-counter saliva substitute may also help. Your dentist can also recommend ways to keep your mouth moist.

Avoid recreational drug use and monitor the effects of medications

Recreational drug use is the use of drugs for recreation rather than for approved medical purposes. Although this term is often applied to the use of illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine, it can also apply to the non-medicinal use of legal prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

People who use drugs recreationally often suffer from severe tooth decay. Certain drugs such as marijuana and heroin can cause cravings for high-sugar foods or lead to poor oral hygiene habits. Drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy can contribute to dry mouth or cause you to clench or grind your teeth. Methamphetamine (or "meth") and cocaine can create highly acidic conditions in the mouth, leading to rapid tooth decay. All of these lead to higher risk for tooth decay.

Be aware: even over-the-counter and prescription medications may affect your oral health because they can cause dry mouth. If you take any over-the-counter or prescription medications, check with your dentist, physician or pharmacist to see if your medication may affect your oral health.