Quiz: Improving On Your Cavity Defense

Are you worried about cavities? Resistance to tooth decay can vary from person to person, but it can also fluctuate over time. If you have little trouble avoiding cavities, you should be armed with the knowledge that this can change, especially if you are careless in caring for your teeth. If you struggle to defend against cavities, you should know that there are actions you can take to improve your ability to prevent them. Your dentist can also provide important preventive dental care. Routine checkups help you preserve the condition of your smile. With a fluoride varnish treatment, which your dentist can provide, you can be better equipped to resist cavities.

Questions:

True Or False: Fluoride can help protect your teeth from discoloration, but will not help defend against cavities.

True Or False: It can take a professional cleaning to remove tartar from your teeth.

True Or False: Your dentist can step in at the earliest stages of tooth decay to help restore your teeth.

Answers:

False! Fluoride encourages your enamel to recover faster from damage. What this means is that your teeth can bounce back from harm sooner, which means you are less likely to suffer enough of the accumulated damage to suffer a cavity.

True! When plaque on your teeth hardens and becomes tartar, it can withstand your efforts to remove it. Luckily, a routine dental cleaning can take care of tartar, so that it no longer harms your teeth.

True! Your dentist can identify weakened or damaged areas on your teeth, and take action. If a cavity is found, they can remove the infected tissue and replace it with a dental filling. If you skip your dental checkups, an unnoticed cavity could eventually put you in need of a root canal treatment.