I'm 18 years old. *Up until last year, I'd always been told I had great teeth--then I went to a new dentist who found 14 cavities at my first visit (as well as 4 and 5mm periodontal pockets and receeding gums). This new place has a lot of fancy equipment and is much more high-tech than my old dentist, so I'm inclined to trust them.
I've been going every three months for a cleaning, and every time, they've found new cavities. *I can even see little black lines forming in my molars, and I think I see some on the back side of my front teeth.
I brush two or three times a day and floss twice a day--always. *I don't eat refined sugar, drink soda, eat candy, etc. *I do eat a LOT of fruit though. *If I ever snack between meals it's on something like vegetables.
I can't figure out why my teeth are in such bad shape, especially at my age. *Most of my family has good teeth. *No matter how well I take care of my teeth, it seems like they just keep getting worse and more cavities keep forming.
Any ideas on why this might be happening? *Or what I can do to prevent the cavities?
Hi-Tech is good for the dentist, but as far as the patient is concerned.. I wonder... I had a hi-tech computerized dentist, but now I have an old dentist (I hope he doesn't retire)... Working with teeth is as much as an art as it is a science and experience counts for a lot... Anyway, regarding your cavity problem, if you eat a lot of cereals, they are mostly carbs and might stick to your teeth and be harder to clean off... This is one wild guess... Don't give up looking for an answer.. I had/have a similar problem and one change (out of many) that I'm wondering about is the hot vegan cereal cups I switched to eating... So, I'm suspicious...
Hey Veggie Girl
I hate to be cynical, but if you have always had good checkups with the dentist, up until the new one. You may want to get a second opinion before proceeding with all the (expensive) dental work. All the new fancy equipment doesn't mean much. Someone of your age to have problems with deep pockets (and you have good dental hygiene) is a wee bit surprising. I'd check out a second opinion, if possible. So, unless you have some vitamin deficeincy from your diet, or your teeth are just naturally "soft", or a medication has affected your teeth...it doesn't seem possible to have cavities forming so quickly. When I was your age I had a friend, whose dentist told her she had 32 cavities!!! I know this is posssible, but usually with people who do not take care of their teeth. My last dentist always seemed to find some new thing to do to me, too. And he had all the fancy equipment too. Well $3,000.oo later I stopped going. I'm going to a differnet one now and all I need is the root planing/scaling thing done, and it's been 6 years since I last went & I am 50 yrs old. I smoke, don't have half the good dental hygiene habits you do, and I should be having the problems you are having instead. All I am saying is that it wouldn't hurt to get a different opinion. If you are having all these problems for sure, than a second opinion wouldn't hurt.
The nature of diagnostic dentistry is subjective. If you went to 10 different dentists they would most likely give you 10 different opinions. Much is based on education, experience, patient individuality, clinical/radiographic evidence, and various diagnostic tools/technology.
I have seen new patients enter the practice with tons of decay, why? Who knows? Maybe the previous dentist was more conservative at caries diagnosis, maybe he "felt bad" and didn't want to over treatment plan, maybe x-rays were not taken, maybe a full periodontal probing was not assertained and pocketing was never found. It is frustrating for both the new dentist and the patient. But it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion or at the very least talk to the dentist, explain your circumstances and have him show you what he is seeing.
Some dentists are much more "proactive" at treating small suspicious lesions, while others are more conservative and have a watch and see type of philosophy.
Sometimes baby cavities can form (incipient lesions)--some will fill, while others will watch encouraging diet control, good hygiene and home fluoride in hopes it will remineralize.
As a consumer and patient it is your responsibility to be as knowledgable as possible about what is going on in your body and know what your philosophy is and what your practioners philosphy is. Then together you can collaborate to get you to optimum oral health.
As for your question regarding decay prevention. Good oral hygiene--brushing with an electric toothbrush, prescription home fluoride and flossing. Diet control--reduce amounts of carbs, especially foods that stick to the teeth (dried fruit, crackers, chips, cookies, candy) and soda/sugared coffees.
Dry mouth especially from meds can also increase plaque and reduce salivary flow thus clearance of foods and natural buffers/enzymes/antibodies that neutralize bacteria.
There is no such thing as "soft" teeth. Cavities are all about bacteria, if it were not there you would not get decay.
I speak from experience! Please don't assume that because he has a fancy office and a fancy practice that he is a superior dentist. Remember one thing, he has to pay for all that flash! And it isn't out of his pocket, it's out of yours. A good dentist, and I was lucky to finally find one, has an "old time" type practice. He doesn't schedule 20 patients in a day and he takes as much time with you as you need. Granted, his office is smaller and not near as fancy, but he has helped me through some extremely major problems created by the first one. Again, I stress, PLEASE PLEASE don't assume he's good based on the "trappings" in his office.
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