Hello, folks! Today we shall be talking about incipient caries, which is quite a simple topic. If you have heard the name or your dentist told you that you have it, then you are at a good time. Even more so that with today’s understanding and knowledge, it no longer requires getting rid of the whole tooth.
Without further ado, we shall now begin explaining what exactly is this.
What is an incipient lesion?
As you know, our mouths are in a constant process of demineralization and remineralization. So an incipient lesion is when the demineralization is higher than that of the remineralization. It is an early stage where our teeth can be subjected to tooth decay and cavities.
This happens because there is buildup plaque, typically on our teeth or gums. And just to be clear, this can happen around existing dental fillings, so be sure to check them out. These incipient caries can affect your soft dentin if nothing is done about it.
Our Los Algodones dentists recommend fluoride toothpaste and good oral habits in order to help the re mineralization process.
What can I do about them?
As we have emphasized before, making your teeth remineralize more than they demineralize is essential. There are many ways to accomplish this without having to spend too much money.
It is also worth to take into account that brushing and flossing your teeth every day is important. Keeping your teeth as free of bacteria as possible is crucial for everything else to have a better effect.
Making use of fluoride. Fluoride is a mineral that goes very well with your teeth, combining with the calcium phosphate and thus making your tooth enamel stronger. This way, it helps in providing more minerals to the ones your teeth have lost. It is usually found in water supplies, toothpastes and therapeutic mouthwashes. Also, if needed your dentist might tell you to use special gels or vanishes in order to up your fluoride intake.
Dental sealants help. These are in case the grooves of your teeth are deep enough for the toothbrush to have a hard time taking care of. Sealants are applied on the chewing surfaces of your back teeth in order to make it more difficult for bacteria to stick.
Make sure you have a good saliva production. Saliva not only helps washing away food and bacteria inside your mouth, it does more! Saliva actually also helps repairing the enamel, helping the remineralization of the teeth. By suffering from dry mouth, you are more prone to decay.
Remember to have good oral habits
Seriously, all of the dentists in Los Algodones, Mexico and pretty much everywhere else will tell you that good oral habits are the top line of defense for you to avoid caries. As such we are stressing that right here.
- Remember to brush twice a day for two minutes each time. This will help the components in your toothpaste to really kick in.
- Also floss daily once, whenever you find most convenient.
- You can also get a therapeutic mouthwash, there are different ones so an antimicrobial or fluoride one are good.
- And do not forget to visit your dentist once every 6 months, and more if you are prone to problems.
So if you are interested in procedures, you are free to give us a visit and check our prices. Our dentist also speak English, so you will be in good hands!
