hi I'm dr. Greg app so you're Warren Michigan dentist here at 586 5737 700 and today I'd like to speak about my tips for avoiding tooth decay unfortunately even though we've got fluoride added to the water and people are coming in for regular dental check-ups and having fluoride treatments in the office we are still seeing dental decay it is on the rise and it has a lot to do with the types of diets I think the hurried lifestyle that we're in and the types of diet that that hurried lifestyle tends to promote basically foods and drinks that contain acid and sugar are the worst culprits for causing tooth decay so my recommendations are first of all to avoid in between meals sweet or acidic foods or beverages that includes any beverage containing citric acid phosphoric acid sugar that includes juices natural fruit juices as well any sports drinks any flavored water most of these products containing acid and are damaging to the teeth so in between meals my recommendation is that you stick with water if it if your kids are in sports and they need to be drinking something containing electrolytes which it is necessary they should be drinking smart water which is going to provide them with those necessary electrolytes and but it's not acidic have your g if you're going to have juice of course we recommend drink that that people drink fruit juices they contain minerals and vitamins they're important part of the diet but they should if you're going to have them you should have them with meals only be sure to brush and floss it or at least rinse with water after meals consider homebrewed green or black tea possibly sweetened with xylitol and I'll get to xylitol in a little bit teas contain natural fluoride and they also help to prevent overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth so my recommendation between meals is that in the morning or the night before you have a pot of tea made and that T can be ice ice down and it's a wonderful refreshing drink between meals and it has certain benefits that will help to prevent decay consider adding xylitol to your diet xylitol is a natural sweetener which is extracted from birch trees strawberries and various other natural sources it's healthy for the mouth in that it helps to reduce bacterial levels it it also helps to neutralize the acids in the mouth so after a meal that with any acid containing foods or any sugar if you follow that meal with aids I little piece of gum or a mint it's going to help to very quickly reduce the acids in your mouth I have a patient an adult patient who had perfect really perfect oral hygiene he that he was one of my model patients in that regard but year after year exam after exam he would generally have one or two cavities and it was really disturbing we finally found out that he had a had a habit of eating mints between meals and and we replaced those mints with xylitol mints since he's been doing this for the last three years he has had not one cavity so with excellent oral hygiene plus the addition of xylitol to his diet we were able to eliminate the decay we also recommend as far as brushing and flossing we do recommend a minimum of twice daily to reduce level of harmful bacteria adhering to your tea there are bacteria between your teeth you've got to get in there with the philosophy brushing is not enough the floss when done properly is going to really eliminate the majority of bacteria between your teeth it's very helpful also we recommend that you use if you're struggling with decay you should use a fluoride rinse before bedtime so after brushing and flossing rinse your mouth with fluoride there are many on the market act flora guard Listerine has a product fluoride becomes incorporated into the enamel and hardens the teeth makes them more resistant to decay but the main things are diet watching the diet watching the number of times in the day that you have something acidic or sweet and these on of xylitol to your diet thank you for listening