What are the main causes of cavities?

What are the main causes of cavities?

Ronald Rosenblatt, DDS (General and Cosmetic Dentistry) gives expert video advice on: What are the main causes of cavities?; How do I know if I have a cavity?; How can I prevent cavities? and more...

The main cause of cavities is tooth decay. There are other ways to have a cavity, because a cavity is a hole and there are other ways for you to get a hole in your tooth. You can get a hole in your tooth because you're grinding one tooth against another and wearing one away, so that would be a cavity also. There are a lot of myths out there that people bandy about as to why they get a cavity or why they get tooth decay. Some people feel that they have soft teeth and, "Well, I'm more susceptible to decay. My parents or my grandparents all lost their teeth when they were in their 20s, so of course I'm going to lose my teeth when I'm in my 20s." These things don't really hold a lot of water. There is a different emphasis today on keeping your teeth that wasn't present many years ago, and so you're more likely to keep your teeth, and healthier teeth, for a much longer time if you take care of them well and make sure you see a dentist regularly.