Brushing and Flossing Advice

[lost_in_translation]

My wife seems cavity prone (especially between teeth), she doesn't drink soda or fruit juices. We don't think her diet is terrible but she does snack sometimes.

As she was getting cavities between her teeth she started flossing almost every night and has been for the last ~2 years, she brushes morning and night with a Sonicare toothbrush and uses a fluoride antibacterial rinse ~3-4 times a week at night.

Recently she just had another cavity filled that was between two teeth. Her mood seems quite down as she thought there was no way she would get another cavity.

She asked the dentist what she could do and he just said to brush after each meal and to floss. We think that seems a little bit much as we will brush before bed that seems like it would be 4 times a day (3 meals plus before bed). She already has some recession from brushing which we wouldn't like to make worse by overdoing it.

She thought she could add brushing after lunch (which would end up being 3 times a day).

I thought that since a toothbrush can't really clean in between teeth and that is where she is getting cavities (literally all of them since in the last 5 years or more) it might be better to floss after lunch and use antibacterial fluoride rinse as she already cleans where a toothbrush can clean twice a day but only flosses once day (so 24 hours between flossing would become more like 12 hours).

My question is, in your opinion, which of the two options would be more beneficial?

Thanks

 

[honestdoc]

She needs Sodium Fluoride 5000 ppm toothpaste in addition to normal Crest/Colgate. Use the 5000 ppm as a leave in gel. Any beverage with sugar/acid/cream like Starbucks, Red Bull, energy drinks, etc will cause severe teeth deterioration. Conditions like acid reflux and or dry mouth from various medications can contribute to deterioration as well. I also find many dentists do unnecessary fillings.

 

[mikerusselltw]

Hi, thank you for your reply Sorry for the long message, lots of questions

I am living in my wife's country so the language isn't native to me. We have not been able to get 5000ppm toothpaste. Standard here is 1450opm. It seems not available or they don't want to prescribe it. I have found that you can order from overseas 2500ppm and ship it here.

225ppm and 900ppm fluoride mouth rinse is available here though.

Not sure what you mean as a leave in gel, we don't rinse with water after brushing if that is what you mean.

She doesn't drink soda, red bull, we have our own coffee machine and next to it is a container of xylitol, not sugar.

She isn't on any medication and no evidence of reflux. Dry mouth she isn't aware of having but it's a possibility I guess.

It's been 5 fillings in the last 8 years (all in between teeth) although up until 2 years ago she never flossed.

I agree with your feeling about unnecessary fillings, we struggle to find a dentist we like here, and the culture here seems to be go to whichever is convenient at the time instead of sticking with an office. I have said we should find one we like and stick to going there. They will also usually only take the whole mouth x-ray where it spins around your head and not the left and right ones that I expect and I have been told are necessary to properly check in between teeth unless you ask and even then it's hit or miss whether they will agree to.

We were frustrated with our last dentist office as they said they would take x-rays every 12 months but after 18 months they still hadn't taken them again, they rushed us through and when my wife asked about x-rays they seemed unwilling, saying next time. They had told my wife she had the start of a cavity between a lower tooth but it was stable and not progressing even though it looked brown.

We went to a new office this time and they did the usual whole mouth x-ray but my wife told the dentist she had previously had cavities between teeth and that she wanted him to check the one that was brown and that the last office had told her it didn't need treatment. He then took the extra left and right x-rays and agreed that it didn't need treatment but told her that she had a cavity on at the back of a top tooth (in between) that would need filled. He pointed it out on the x-ray.

We didn't get a picture of the x-ray but we had taken pictures of my wife's x-rays at the previous dentist office 12 and 18 months before. Taking a look at that exact tooth we could see something at the same area he mentioned in both the previous x-rays. We are not sure the previous office missed it, or didn't think it needed treatment. It could be the new office is more agressive to treat it. We don't know and my wife was feeling frustrated by this as she didn't want something done if it was unnecessary.

But we did like the dentists manner and my wife was happy that he was willing to take the extra x-rays when asked.

She did get the cavity filled in the end.

We are hoping this latest cavity was started back when she was not flossing in the past and that hopefully this is the last and thhat she won't any more cavities in future.


Thanks