Question about dental cavities

I'm brushing like a maniac now, and flossing after every meal.

Assuming you aren't a meth-head, like aboutready's siblings, have you tried Listerine?

Does Listerine "remineralize"? And what might be the cause of the sudden proliferation of cavities? Is this a harbinger of anything more serious?

are you lying about your age? if so, it could be calcium loss

Yes, yes. But what would cause that much calcium loss that I would go from no pit to decay in 3 months?

next time you're feeling frisky, look up some medical studies. maybe someone has already intentionally inflicted your affliction on a test subject.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Why - how old should I be?

i think it starts to happen postmenapause, but you could be a freak case!

What am I looking for, exactly? I don't know the right search terms. Anyway, are there any dentists on here?

I see that there are some nanogels that claim to reverse demineralization but I don't know how I can get some.

Already upped the calcium supplement & spinach consumption. Will ask doc for baseline bone x-ray to check on bone density.

calcium loss, diet

Sure, but in 3 months? Any docs want to weigh in on the possibility of calcium loss over a period that short?
No changes in diet (if anything diet has improved) + exercise has doubled.

stjmd? W67 - ask your wife. Okay, could this be a sign of C anywhere? Dental decay is related to ph level in mouth, and ph level of saliva changes in cancer patients (of course their mouths sometimes dry up due to meds).

wait a minute, his wife is a dentist? he said she saves lives!! jerry?

let me get back to you. mr. lucille did cancer research for fun when he was like 12. he might know.

good news is it's probably not cancer, because that's way too fast. there is a pH change in your body and we have diagnosed you with being a possible pregnant lady. go pee on stick.

Nope. Also, never had a cavity with multiple pgs.

Why can't it be cancer?

Maybe delayed effect from carrying and nursing the last baby? Just googled caries and pregnancy, but more seems to be unknown than known. (Always the way when looking for something specific.)

It would throw you for a loop, having been blessed with good teeth to begin with, and being a good flosser.

But, easy enough to do a ph test of saliva to see if there's an actual change - I think I saw that alkaline was good, acid was bad.

Yes, inconclusive. Also, that would be quite a delay. Good point, though, to test actual ph of mouth. Will ask for that too.

I'm related to several people who are in the 70s, sans cavities & sans flouridated H20.

Saliva production decreases with exercise due to dehydration. One of saliva's key functions is to reduce the accumulation of bacteria that causes tooth decay. My hypotheses is that the doubling of exercise has reduced the saliva function to a point where bacteria is not being flushed at normal rate, therefore causing cavities at a faster pace. My guess is your teeth were close to the brink anyway and this increase in bacteria tipped the ship. Drink more water and brush or rinse with listerine after exercise.

I am not a dentist.

I can only tell you what my dentist told me - it's not at all uncommon.

Juiceman - very good point. Lowery - my dentist said the same, but I gotta try to stop/slow down the process.

10023, i am sending you esp signals of what i *really* think it might me. receive and understand them. have you been doing that?

Why won't you visit your dentist again to discuss this?

It's not that.

Please see a doctor!

I'd brush more than once day, floss twice a day and do Listerine. It sounds like you didn't have the best habits and are now panicking.

I was relying too much on the genetics. Dentist isn't around Friday afternoons to receive his panicky patients. Definitely seeing dentist early next week.

Does your healthy lifestyle and exercising entail the eating of energy bars? They're known to cause cavities.

Nope, I eat very little "processed" food. No bars, few desserts. Prefer vegetables over fruits. I have one large cup of sweetened (with sugar) coffee every morning.

Did you have your teeth whitened, god forbid? That would do it, in the long run.
Also, deep cleansing, like whitening, is a trick to keep you coming back with deteriorating teeth,
Europeans (who don't floss, don't get obsessed with WHITENING, and no fluoride) have less cavities. No dazzling smiles but healthy choppers.

They also don't shower frequently. I'm not sure Europe - the Greeks or the Germans - are our role models.

Flossing is not for cavities, it's for gum disease.

Never had my teeth whitened. Or "deep cleansed" whatever that is. I drink tap water. Everything was good until mid-30s. Then sudden deterioration.

All deteriorations are sudden, unfortunately. Could be acidity as in GERD or an ulcer precursor.
Please post your doctor's opinion.

You need to take it all in perspective.....having cavities for many is a fact of life...our bodies and lives change...yes even at 35......i know its devastating to you to realize that your body is not perfect but with age(even 35) that happens.....many are dealing with much more serious medical stuff....so try to take a deep breath, understand that its not serious and take proper precautions to help prevent.....i go to dentist 3 to 4 times per year for cleanings and started to get cavities a few years back even with doing everything right....and overall, i eat really well....i really doubt that its cancer.....but i think you need to call your dentist, express your concerns and then leave it at that ...the anxiety over having cavities will be much worse than having cavities.....

I asked a friend of mine a similar question a while back, and he noted that if you tend to graze (eat many meals a day) or drink your coffee slowly, it's actually worse for your teeth, because your ph changes for a period after you eat and you're mouth is less effective in getting rid of bacteria.

I hate to say it, but crap starts to happen at age 35. Seems to be a sort of catalyst age, especially for women (don't know if you're a chick or not). People will begin noticing changes in their skin, hair and metabolism and pesky health problems can start to crop up as well.

I, too, had a run of zero cavities til I reached my mid-twenties and them Bam! Several in a row. Now I get them only occasionally. The same may happen with you--a deluge followed by a dearth.

How's your vitamin intake, by the way? Vitamin needs can change a bit with age (calcium supplements are more important, for example, as is vitamin D. Vitamin C is important for healthy gums (which help your teeth stay healthy). I'd suggest having your primary care doc do some blood work to see if you're deficient in anything.

Ooh--just reread your post and noticed the 'exercising like a maniac' part. That could be causing some calcium and/or general vitamin deficiency, depending on just how maniacally you're exercising.