A cavity is the end result of a slow tug-of-war on the surface of your tooth. Bacteria in dental plaque feed on sugars from food and produce acid. That acid pulls minerals out of your enamel. Saliva — helped by fluoride — pushes minerals back in. When the losses outpace the repairs for long enough, the enamel breaks down and a cavity forms.
Your prevention toolkit
Fluoride toothpaste, twice a day. Fluoride rebuilds weakened enamel and makes it more resistant to the next acid attack. Spit, don’t rinse, so a protective film remains.
Watch frequency, not just quantity. Every time you sip a sweet coffee or snack on crackers, acid production starts again for about 30 minutes. Grazing all day keeps your teeth under near-constant attack — enjoy treats with meals instead.
Drink water. It rinses away food debris and keeps saliva flowing, which is your body’s built-in defense.
Keep your cleanings. Professional cleanings remove hardened tartar that brushing cannot, and regular exams let us catch early decay while it can still be reversed or treated with a small filling instead of a large one.
Early decay is reversible
In its earliest stage, decay shows up as a chalky white spot — the enamel is weakened but not yet broken. With fluoride and improved habits, that spot can re-harden. This is one of the best reasons for twice-yearly checkups: we can spot trouble while it’s still a conversation, not a procedure.