Have you ever had a cavity? Why?

I had like 15 in my lifetime.
Sugar Overkill in my youth (good thing I was very athletic so I never got fat) and lack of self-care.

I have one at the moment. Should have let it getting fixed in the last few weeks, but I'm too lazy. Maybe next week.

skeptem said:

I've had quite a few. My enamel has always been terrible even though I don't consume any sugary drinks, avoid candy, and basically only drink coffee (black) and water. Dentist has told me part of it is genetics and bad luck . They always compliment me on my cleaning regimen and yet...I have another cavity.

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Genetics plays a much larger role in dental health than a lot of people realize.

I treated my teeth terribly over the years with sugar, soda, and other factors (though I do brush, mouthwash, and floss regularly) yet I've had only a few cavities in my lifetime and only recently have my teeth been less than shiny white (gotta resume doing deep cleans with a dentist after years of not seeing one). I was shocked last year when I went in for a consultation after not seeing a dentist in nearly a decade that the only things they wanted to do were replace two old fillings and cap a single tooth that had a small chip on the bottom.

When I was a kid there was no supervision on what I ate. I was even encouraged to drink the filth that is Mountain Dew and eat chocolates. One or two of my teeth ended up getting holes in them and rotting before they fell out. How fortunate for me that replacement teeth grew in!

I had one on a baby tooth as a kid then I had one on a wisdom tooth that I eventually had pulled. The tooth had only partially come in and being way in the back I couldn't clean it properly because my brush wouldn't reach it completely.

Yeah, I have a decent diet and homecare, but I guess bad genes or something.

My dentist gives me prevident on a rotation of like 6 months on then 6 off to help.

I have always brushed twice a day and went to the dentist at least annually. I've only had one cavity and that was right after 6 weeks of Air Force boot camp. So I dont feel guilty about it, as you can imagine ample teeth brushing time is the least of your concerns.

I can't even remember how many I have. It's quite a few.

Had my first one ever this year, I'm 33. Guess it was cause I only brushed in the mornings.

Now I make sure to brush twice a day.

BAD said:

I don't want to jinx it so I don't ask

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Haha but your dentist will be happy to give advice in trying to avoid them.

Also avoid acidic and carbonated drinks as much as possible.

Got my first a couple months ago at age 31. My tooth didn't tell me why it did it.

Sure. I ate loads of sugar as a kid. Guessing that helped.

No. Because I've always taken care of my teeth, and I don't have a shit diet.

Sephzilla said:

I've had them.

But to be fair, I still have my wisdom teeth and that's where I've gotten them. So I feel like that doesn't count since its almost impossible to brush those fuckers

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Same, shit sucks, I got one on my bottom left and I couldn't even tell cause there was a piece of gum on top of it. They had to remove that piece of gum and that was worst part.

BAD said:

I've never had one and don't understand how you get them

Have you had one? Do you know what you did to get it?

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Yes.

When I was a kid I ate corn flakes with way too much table sugar.

It was a pretty nothing affair though. Go in, spend 15 minutes in a chair, go out. It was never a big deal.

I do like sweet things, but I also look after my teeth as best I can, and I've managed to avoid ever needing a filling.

I'm kinda proud of it.

BAD said:

I've never had one and don't understand how you get them

Have you had one? Do you know what you did to get it?

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It can happen easily enough. It isn't always about being careless.

I had salmonella poisoning when I was younger and it resulted in me vomiting for two weeks straight pretty much. The last thing on my mind was dental hygiene and as a result I ended up needing a filling in a tooth.

Normally I'm very vigilant about washing my teeth but just couldn't be done for those two weeks.

I was a kid who ate a lot of junk food.

I just had a filling actually. A chipped molar turned out to have a bloody great hole underneath.

I have 8 minor ones right now. Genetics.

I had a couple back when I still had baby teeth. Then nothing. My teeth are fine, but I think I got lucky since there was a period in my life when I didn't really take care of my dental hygiene

I've had a few. I brush twice a day but never floss.

Fuck it.

Used to get them all the time, because I'd drink sugary drinks before bed and hated brushing my teeth. Haven't had one in over a decade.

Only one, and I didn't get that until I was 28.

I must have won the genetic lottery with my teeth because I really didn't take care of them in my youth, and it used to piss of my brother, who was meticulous about cleaning his teeth and has had a few cavities plus a couple of teeth out, so much. I was one of those people who brushed perfunctorily once a day and gave them a really thorough cleaning before I went to the dentist for a checkup.

From what my elders have told me, I was visited in the night by the spirit of Lo'kash'n the Cruel, who, because of his evil deeds, was punished to a life of toil. After being sentenced by the 9 Deities, he struck a bargain that if he was shrunk to the size of an ant, he would one day be released from his bonds of labor. Because the 9 Deities believe in the spirit of "eye for an eye" justice, they send Lo'kash'n into the mouths of sleeping unjust men under the cover of darkness, where he uses an enchanted pickaxe to slowly destroy the teeth of the wicked.

You should examine your conscience, OP.

I had braces and it was stupid tough to get anything close to a proper clean with all that metal in my mouth, alright. After over 4 years of that, I got some cavities. Never before, none after (and it's been another 4 years since removal).

Yes, consistently, throughout my life. Fluorine Deficiency, look it up, OP. Might learn something about why people get cavities.

Nope. That's despite eating lots of sugar and having really bad brushing habits as a child/teenager. I must be very lucky.

"Anyone fat? I'm not fat. I don't understand how you get fat"

Seriously OP?

For people who are at risk for cavities, try fluoride wash once a day. That's done wonders for me in my adult years.

Maquiladora said:

"Anyone fat? I'm not fat. I don't understand how you get fat"

Seriously OP?

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Lol

Kunka Kid said:

I've had a few. I brush twice a day but never floss.

Fuck it.

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I admit my flossing regimen is...hit or miss. I do it consistently for months then fall off the wagon. That said, do it. Losing teeth later in life is one thing but you really want to avoid gum disease, which results in extremely painful surgery and has a lot of knock-on effects on your non-dental health.

I have lots of fillings. Nowadays, if you have a cavity beginning to form most dentists gives it a chance to heal before getting the drill out, but that was not the case when I was a kid. I had one or two cavities every year. To make things even better, my dentist had a very strong opinion that you shouldn't give kids anestethics. If I just close my eyes I can still feel that razor sharp cold pain cutting through my teeth. It's resulted in a deep fear of dentists to this day.

Congrats for the flawless teeth, OP. Be proud!

Yes. I basically have them every time. I go in expecting them.

As a kid that was not surprising, but for years now I've looked after what I eat, brush a minimum of three times a day and always floss before bed.

My sister is the complete opposite. Eats junk all day, brushes once or twice, never has them. Life ain't fair.

I've had a bunch, with a few root canals and a few crowns. I have a bad habit of not going to the dentist until I have a tooth ache. I just moved to a new state so I need to find a dentist soon and do the responsible adult thing and go every 6 months like I'm supposed to.

I haven't had any cavities in my life. My dentist(s) have told me I have a thick enamel which I guess I would attribute that to. I've never been overly diligent about my oral care. I just brush my teeth once a day and floss not as often as I should.

I had a pretty sugar rich diet most of my life as well. I think some people just have bad luck of the draw.

Yes. Minor ones in nearly EVERY one of my molars now. It happened in both my baby teeth when I was a little kid and now in my adult teeth.

I've brushed my teeth twice a day my entire life and flossed. As a kid I wasn't allowed candy often, and was only allowed soda rarely on special occasions, and juice was almost as infrequent soda. My mother was obsessed with monitoring what I ate for sugar, and acid levels of food. As a kid my mother even had me using a bubblegum flavored fluoride mouthwash everyday.

My mother and one of her brothers also had frequent cavities, while some of her other siblings had perfect teeth despite sharing the same diet and good dental hygiene habits. My maternal Grandmother was in full dentures before the age of 20. Thank god I'm nowhere NEAR THAT.

So I'm convinced I "lucked" out and got the really susceptible to cavity genes. I shudder to think what state my teeth would be in if I wasn't so diligent my entire life.

Used to get them all the time, then quit juice/pop and haven't had one since. I drink water, milk, or tea only (occasional beer/spirits/wine not withstanding, 4-6 times a month maybe).

Just got my first one at 33, pry my fault because I take terrible care of my teeth. I could get away with it when I was younger, no longer apparently. Was the wake up call I needed to get better about taking care of my teeth.

Lots. General neglect and bad parenting. Got them all fixed, though.

what a classist question

Never I don't eat much sugary things either so I think that helps.

Is this thread for real? I can't tell


Some people are genetically predisposed to get them, I.e weak/soft teeth, etc.

Some people eat too much sugar and shit like that for standard cleaning to be effective in preventing them.

Some people don't give a fuck about dental care and lose teeth every other week.

Wow surprised at the percentage

My dentist always me my teeth are great but I honestly don't do much, like anything genetics probably are the main factor.

To be fair, I haven't been to the dentist in a few years so I could have finally got one but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Not sure on the why, I used to consume sugar in large quantities and have never really brushed more than twice a day (and to be perfectly honest sometimes only once).

Every time I go to the dentist, he usually finds a cavity. And I don't eat much sugar (maybe a lot of foods with high acidity though?)

I've chalked my problems up to genetics -- my mom had horrible teeth.

I brush daily and floss almost daily and have never had a cavity. I went through a 7 year stint of no dentist visits because I had to prioritize eye care on my shitty student insurance and was certain something would be wrong when I finally went to a dentist and still got away with none. Even the dentist was surprised when I told him how long it had been since I had a cleaning.

My mouth is very compact and my teeth very close together. It's quite hard for me to thoroughly brush my upper 2nd molars. They got pretty huge cavities and now I have sweet gold crowns.

"I don't understand how biological/anatomical process works."

Ok. You can read all about it on the wonderful internet.