What Causes “Soft Teeth?”
By DrPayet on Jun 23, 2011 in Cavities, Why Dentistry Fails
Does it seem like you get a lot of cavities, even though you try to take really good care of your teeth with regular brushing and flossing, and visit your dentist regularly? If so, you’ve probably started thinking that you just have “soft teeth” and there’s nothing you can do about it. But keep reading to find out what REALLY might be happening!
I remember one lady in her mid-30′s who came to my Charlotte dentist office years ago. Her story was sad – perfect teeth until she started having children, when she suddenly started getting cavities. After her 3rd child, it got worse……..a LOT worse! She was desperate – she had spent so much time and money at the dentist, but the cavities kept coming back. 
We ended up doing a bunch of veneers and gave her a beautiful new smile back………but I kid you not, within 2 years there were cavities around those veneers! And trust me……she worked SO HARD at keeping her teeth clean and healthy! She was fanatical about brushing and flossing. We tried everything I knew at the time; sadly, I eventually referred her to a specialist who did dental implants that couldn’t get cavities.
There is NO SUCH THING as “Soft Teeth”
OK, now you want to know why – after experiences like that, I say there’s no such thing as “soft teeth,” right? Well, since then, I’ve learned a lot more, and I’m confident in saying that NOT ONLY is there no such thing, but there ARE things we can do now to prevent that sad cycle.
Heartburn, Acid Reflux & Tooth Decay
Previously, I discussed one of the most unknown reasons for tooth cavities in my post Why Moms Get Cavities After Babies: ACID REFLUX. Seriously! Take a look at this chart that shows just how acidic stomach acid is (click to see a bigger version, easier to read).
Studies indicate that up to 75% of people with heartburn have zero symptoms. But it is more damaging to teeth than sodas, monster drinks, or any other food that you ingest. Yet somehow, people never stop to think about this! PLEASE understand how serious I am about this – I have seen so many patients who even KNOW they have heartburn, but somehow don’t believe it’s problem.
After all, what do you think happens to teeth for bulimic patients? Take a look at how thin and translucent these teeth are, and know that this patient suffered from bulimia for more than 10 years:
Enamel is the Hardest Thing in the Human Body
Here’s the simple truth: enamel is MUCH harder than bone, so you can chew food your entire life. The hardness comes from minerals (calcium, phosphates, fluoride), there is only one way for enamel to become weak: to have the minerals taken out. And there’s only one way for the minerals to come out of your teeth: ACID. That does include sodas, sports drinks (look up where Gatorade falls on the chart – scary, isn’t it?), and stomach acid, among other things. But when your teeth come in, they are the hardest & strongest part of your whole body. It doesn’t matter if your parents had lots of cavities!
The Worst Sodas for Cavities
Of course, DIET and NUTRITION are part of the problem, too, and along with being a major contributor to diabetes and obesity, sodas are the most common problem drinks. If you ask almost any dentist which are the worst sodas for causing cavities, you will get more agreement than on almost any other dental topic:
- Mountain DewTM
- Mellow YellowTM
- SunDropTM
- Dr. PepperTM
You’ll notice a pattern – the yellow sodas cause the most cavities. Of the dark sodas, only Dr. Pepper seems to cause such a “cavities-gone-wild” scenario.
Other Causes of Lots of Cavities
- Not brushing and flossing your teeth
- Dry Mouth Syndrome due to medications: many drugs dry up your saliva, which is important for keeping your teeth washed
- Radiation Therapy for cancer: this makes your saliva thicker and less able to wash teeth clean
- Immune Diseases: some auto-immune diseases attack your saliva glands and dry up your saliva
If you seem to get a lot of cavities and think you have soft teeth, PLEASE don’t assume there’s nothing you can do. There is always a cause, and it can be treated!
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My Son now 5 years old, has very weak teeth. We keep Going to the dentist at least 2 times per month as from last september. His fillings keep falling and with every visit we discover new cavities. He is very distressed and i do not know how can i further help him.
We reduced the amount of juices, soda’s, sugar and chocolade.
I am now introducing flossing because food stucks between his teeth. With the flossing last evening, another pièce of tooth felt and next week we have to go instead of two, three times.
He had have often in the past upset stomach, but now hè is doing much better.
When he changes his milk teeth, is he Going to have the Same problems?
Could you please give us some advice? What else we could do?
mY DAUGHTER HAS ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM WITH HER TREET MOSTLY GETTING CAVITIES BETWEEN AS HER TEETH ARE VERY TIGHT. sHE IS NOT A GOOD FLOSSER WHICH IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS.sHE IS 20 YEARS OLD GOING ON A SECOND ROOT CANAL AND HAS JUST RECENTLY ALSO HAD HER WISOM TEETH PULLED. i FEEL SO BAD FOR HER EVERY TIME SHE GOES TH THE DENTIST IT IS AT LEAST 2-3 CAVITIES. sOMEON SAID SHE HAS SOLFT TEETH. I THINK IT IS DIET PARTLY SHE IS A SWEET AND CARB EATER ALL OF HER LIFE. dOES NOT DRINK ANY SOFT DRINKS DOES NOT LIKE THE BUBBLES, BUT WILL DRING ICED TEA, LEMONADE, WATER.sHE IS TRYING RECENTLY TO PUT MORE PROTEIN IN HER DIET. aNY INSIGHT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
Hi Laura, and thank you for your question! As a father myself, I can understand the pain of seeing your child suffer and feel like there is nothing that you can do to help. As your daughter is 20yo, she’s has to WANT to change first – does she? If so, it won’t be easy, but it can work, so here are some suggestions:
Eliminate or drastically reduce any acidic drinks, such as lemonade. Also, drastically cut down on any sugar in the tea.
Increasing protein to REPLACE carbs is good; as long as she is actually reducing the carbs.
She should use ACT Fluoride mouthrinse twice every day, especially right before bed.
Ask her dentist about MI Paste Plus (made by GC America). It is a remineralizing paste that is rubbed on the teeth 1-2 times per day, then allowed to sit for 30 minutes with no eating or drinking, not even water.
Ask if her stomach is upset or hurts frequently – that can be a sign of acid reflux, which is very common in young women. If so, get her to start Prilosec OTC or something similar for 2 weeks; if she feels better, that’s important! Tell me if she does and I’ll tell you what to do next.
Get her a Sonicare toothbrush – it is more effective than a regular toothbrush for most people.
This is not something that will be reversed overnight, ok? She’s going to have to stick with the program for MONTHS to see a real result, but I promise, it will work with time. Please keep me updated, ok?
Since I was about 13 I kept getting cavities. I’d brush my teeth twice as much as my twin and when we had a visit at the dentist I’d have 4 cavities and shed have none. I’m now 20 years old and have already had to get two teeth pulled and a filling on every tooth.now my teeth are starting to break and crack and are extremely painful. Now matter how much i brush floss mouthwash get fillings nothing works. Pretty much lost hope that I’ll ever have a great smile. What can I do at this point?
Tori, I am so incredibly sorry to hear about your experiences. Bear in mind, I can’t give you specific advice, since I haven’t done an exam or anything, but there are few possibilities to consider:
Do you drink any sports drinks (like Gatorade, Powerade, etc) or energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster, etc.)?
Do you like any particular sodas? Yellow sodas like Mountain Dew and Mello Yellow are the worst, Dr. Pepper is pretty close
Do seem to have an upset stomach frequently, especially in the morning, or after you eat any particular foods?
Do you seem to have a bad taste in your mouth when you wake up in the morning?
Have you ever been tested for a wheat allergy (this could be a biggie, and no, twins don’t always have identical allergies, oddly enough)?
If you aren’t comfortable sharing this information in a response here, please go here and send me an email with the information instead, ok? If you don’t mind sharing here, that would be great, because our conversation might help other people, too, but either way is fine. I have some additional questions to ask, depending on your answers to these, ok? I’ll do my best to help!