“Oh my gosh, my first two cavities! I don’t get it; I’ve gone all these years without a cavity. And I brush and floss every day. What in the world happened?” We hear this quite often and as hard as it is to believe, it’s not what you’re eating and not what you’re doing with your oral health care.
Candy and cookies aren’t the only cavity culprits: tooth decay can actually be contagious. That’s because cavities result from bacteria hanging around in your mouth—and these germs can be passed from person to person. So perhaps, it’s who you’re dating – or rather, who you’re kissing. It’s a noted problem in young children; they can pick up cavities when, for example, their mothers taste their food to check the temperature.
It’s also an issue among dating couples. There are instances, where a patient in her 40’s who had never had a cavity suddenly developed two cavities and was starting to get some gum disease. As it turns out she’d just started dating a guy who had very poor oral care habits. The best way to avoid a similar fate is to floss and brush often, and try chewing sugar free gum after your immediate contact, all of which are designed to stimulate saliva, which hopefully will rinse away the germs.
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA 30328
404-256-3620
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