Everyone who has teeth is at risk of getting cavities, but some factors increases the incidence :

• Tooth location. Decay most often occurs in your back teeth (molars and premolars). These teeth have lots of grooves, pits and crannies, and multiple roots that can collect food particles. As a result, they're harder to keep clean than your smoother, easy-to-reach front teeth. This is especially true for decay between teeth-they are the ‘silent killers’ in tooth decay since this area is difficult to clean and even diagnose from a clinical examination.

• Certain foods and drinks. Foods that cause tooth decay are the ones that cling to your teeth for a long time — such as milk, ice cream, honey, sugar, soda, dried fruit, cake, cookies, hard candy and mints, dry cereal, caramel and chips — are more likely to cause decay than foods that are easily washed away by saliva. They tend to stick to teeth and make cleaning more tiresome.

• Frequent snacking or sipping. When you steadily snack or sip sugary drinks, you give mouth bacteria more fuel to produce acids that attack your teeth and wear them down. And sipping soda or other acidic drinks throughout the day helps create a continual acid bath over your teeth.

• Bedtime infant feeding. When babies are given bedtime bottles filled with milk, formula, juice or other sugar-containing liquids, these beverages remain on their teeth for hours while they sleep, feeding decay-causing bacteria. This damage is often called baby bottle tooth decay. Visit bestdentistnearme.in to know more. Similar damage can occur when toddlers wander around drinking from a sippy cup filled with these beverages. So next time make sure your babies or kids rinse their mouth before sleeping.

• Inadequate brushing. This is a no-brainer-If you don't clean your teeth soon after eating and drinking, plaque forms quickly and the first stages of decay can begin. It is advisable to rinse after every meal!

• Not getting enough fluoride. Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, helps prevent cavities and can even reverse the earliest stages of tooth damage. Because of its benefits for teeth, fluoride is added to many public water supplies. It's also a common ingredient in toothpaste and mouth rinses. But bottled water usually does not contain fluoride. Visit summitdental to know the advantages of fluoride but the drawbacks of excess mineral.

• Younger or older age. Cavities are common in very young children and teenagers. Older adults also are at higher risk. Over time, teeth can wear down and gums may recede, making teeth more vulnerable to root decay. Older adults also may use more medications that reduce saliva flow, increasing the risk of tooth decay. All in all- tooth decay can affect the very first primary tooth in the mouth to geriatric teeth.

• Dry mouth. Dry mouth is caused by a lack of saliva, which helps prevent tooth decay by washing away food and plaque from your teeth. Substances found in saliva also help counter the acid produced by bacteria. Certain medications, some medical conditions, radiation to your head or neck, or certain chemotherapy drugs can increase your risk of cavities by reducing saliva production. Visit bestdentistinbangalore.in to learn more about the risk factors of decay.

• Heartburn. Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause stomach acid to flow into your mouth (reflux), wearing away the enamel of your teeth and causing significant tooth damage. This exposes more of the dentin to attack by bacteria, creating tooth decay. Similar tooth damage is also seen in the case of anorexia and bulimia which unfortunately affects a vast majority of teenagers especially girls. Read more about it next in risk factors of tooth decay.

• Eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia can lead to significant tooth erosion and cavities. Stomach acid from repeated vomiting (purging) washes over the teeth and begins dissolving the enamel. Eating disorders also can interfere with saliva production. Unfortunately. a vast majority of teenagers especially girls suffer from this condition resulting in irreparable tooth damage.