I definitely agree with genes playing a part in it. My siblings and i have always brushed twice a day and flossed maybe a couple of times a week (not everyday like we should) and i have quite a few fillings - stupid thin enamel!
Actually a lot of dental decay is based on diet and hygiene. However fluoride works in a couple of ways/
During your formation of your adult teeth when you are a child it has an effect on the formation of the enamel, making it very resistant to decay. (not i said resistant, not decay proof), and as you get older the fluoride has a two fold effect by killing bacteria, stimulating saliva flow and topically remineralising your enamel layer to give a more protected tooth. So it has benefits from all stages of your life. Its a naturally occuring element that is present in rocks, in fact Tea drinkers get a lot of fluoride as well.
Any toothpaste with 1000ppm (which is practically all the ones you buy) are good enough for daily use. I prescribe neutrafluor 5000 for high risk people with a history of decay ( i recommended alot of this when i worked in QLD, dental decay is shocking there.)
As far as genetics, there isnt much protection genetically. You tend to get your bacteria from your parents (primarily your mum). so if you have good teeth, you can thank her. Most dental decay is caused by some really nasty bugs, and these are passed through a family usually. Also families tend to share bad eating habits, so no suprises when a family has a history of decay from excessive sugar and acidic food consumption.
If you finished all this, congrats you deserve a gold star. I need a life!
LOL Agentmolar - Love the nic BTW!! We recomended alot of neutrafluor when i worked with hygienists not so much now im in periodontics. I heard QLD have terrible teeth issues there.
I did read your whole post.. teeth are my life also LOL
Its amazing how many mums you tell not to suck on the dummy to pass on the germs in your mouth, but they just dont understand and keep doing it.
Actually its probably nothing to worry about. As soon as a mother kisses a child, the bacteria will have colonised the mouth. So sucking on the dummy wont do much . Its only an issue if parents have a high risk of periodontal disease or caries. One of the discussions we had in university was whether it was practical or not to keep uncles/ or aunts / relatives with confirmed virulent strains of bacteria from kissing spreading their germs to the children, ie quarantining the child from these diseases.
In the end the consensus was its completely impractical. '
Glad you like the nickname.. its kind of stuck since Uni!
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We recomended alot of neutrafluor when i worked with hygienists not so much now im in periodontics. I heard QLD have terrible teeth issues there.
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