Some people are more likely to get cavities than others. Why?

The truth is that there are some people who, despite every effort to maintain good oral health, are more prone to tooth decay.

Do you follow all the recommended oral hygiene practices and avoid eating a lot of sweets, and yet still get cavities from time to time?

The truth is that there are some people who, despite every effort to maintain good oral health, are more prone to tooth decay. Often the appearance of cavities is associated with patients' lifestyle, but at other times the causes are not directly controllable.

In the points below we explain the main reasons why some people have a greater tendency to develop cavities:

• Weak tooth enamel:

Tooth enamel is the hardest layer of the tooth; it protects the dentine and the nerves from external elements that could damage them, such as bacteria. Those with weaker enamel have a higher risk of cavities, since this protective layer does not work as it does in other people.

Poor enamel quality can result not only from eating habits centred on sugar or carbohydrates, but also from genetics or from wearing dental braces.

• Unbalanced saliva pH:

The pH of saliva is determined by the kind of food each person eats. A healthy, or balanced, pH is considered to be one between 6.8 and 7.2.

A pH that is too high or too low ends up preventing saliva from protecting the teeth against the proliferation of bacteria and makes the environment favourable to the appearance of cavities.

Consult your dentist to identify the pH of your saliva and take the necessary steps to adjust it to ideal levels.

• Excessive use of the teeth:

Tooth wear can be caused not only by the eating habits already mentioned above, but also by excessive force when grinding and chewing food, and other habits such as biting hard objects (for example ice) or even biting your nails.

• Genetics:

Some genetic variations can affect the tendency to develop cavities, as well as the very type of bacteria most common in the mouth.

• Dry mouth:

When people do not produce much saliva, which acts as a protective agent against the bacteria in the mouth, the tendency to develop cavities is greater.

The symptom of dry mouth can be caused not only by genetics, but also by eating habits, radiotherapy treatments or even by the use of certain kinds of medication.

• Gaps between the teeth:

When the dental structure has larger gaps between the teeth, it is more likely to retain bacteria and other micro-organisms harmful to good oral health, and so creates a greater propensity for cavities.