Eliza (00:22)
Today, I'm going to be taking through the seven most common mistakes we see people making that are causing cavities.
Now you're like, who is this girl? is she teaching me? I actually thought this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate to you the type of knowledge that Dr. Clayton can share with just a lay person. I did not go to school for anything sciency at all. And so when Dr. Clayton went through his transformation and moved into biomimetic and functional dentistry, I was learning alongside with him. I like to say I was his very first student and
I have become equally passionate as him about the message that we have to share about getting out of the cavity cycle to stop chasing symptoms in your oral health and to finally get to the root cause of some of these diseases. Now, before we get into those seven mistakes, they are juicy and I'm really excited to share them with you. I wanted to make sure that you knew about our signature program that just launched. It's called Confidently Cavity Free. We've run this program before about a year ago and we're finally opening the doors up again.
This is an online training program. It's the only one of its kind that walks you through every single piece of the puzzle on your journey to become cavity free. It's both an online course and a group coaching program as well as a private community. And together we walk you step by step to your cavity free life so that you stop dumping money into treating just the symptoms alone. So if you've been feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with cavities,
you've tried all the free resources out there, but you're really looking for something that's science-backed, something that's going to hold you accountable, and you're ready for those real answers and support, then this is the right program for you. So go ahead and click the link in the show notes if you would like to get more information on this program and see if it's the right fit for you at this time. We only take a limited number of students, and the registration does close on October 30th at midnight.
So if you're feeling called to this, we would love to have you join us. These are small groups where we're able to meet and really dig into the details and support you, hold your hand. If you've ever thought, I wish I could fly out and see Dr. Clayton in person, this is absolutely the best resource for you. All right, well, let's get into the seven mistakes that you're making causing cavities. So the first one is believing that cavities are purely genetic. So a myth that we often hear spread around,
is that you might have soft teeth and you're just always going to be prone to cavities. This is not true, okay? While genetics can play a role and there are some certain genetic conditions that are pretty serious and require a diagnosis, there are many other factors that are within your control. And so believing that it's just genetic and there's nothing you can do about it is not true. Cavities are truly caused by a curable disease. Outside of those one or two,
conditions that put us in a tricky place where you just have to restore the teeth no matter what, cavities are a curable disease. Okay, number two, thinking that it's too difficult to sustain.
You've already tried the things you think could work like brushing and flossing and avoiding eating sugar, but it's not working and you don't want to resort to some really restrictive or challenging rigorous program. I know some of those have circulated around on the internet regarding cavities. That is not true. Getting cavities does not require you to cut out all of your favorite foods or require you to do this totally elaborate oral care routine.
tweaking even just a few small things can make a huge difference in your oral health. So this is all about incorporating those small consistent changes in your life that lead to a life free of cavities. And we have seen this work in a sustainable way with our students. We don't advocate for like a really restrictive diet or those like overhauling your life. We all know that's just not gonna work.
All right, this third tip, you're gonna start doing tonight, okay? And that is stop rinsing your mouth after you've brushed your teeth. The mistake is that you're rinsing your mouth with water right after brushing where the toothpaste, if we're using something that's both safe and effective, is designed to help your teeth fight off cavities and remineralize those smaller cavities that are starting.
And if you rinse it off, it's not able to sit on the teeth and give you the maximum benefit. So go ahead and just spit out the excess toothpaste, but avoid rinsing your mouth and let those beneficial ingredients in your tooth gel remain on your teeth for at least 30 minutes to maximize their protective effects.
Alright, number four is trusting sugar-free drinks. Some people think, okay, sugar causes cavities. That's a real big myth. So I'm just going to drink sugar-free drinks and I'm good to go. And we see this a lot that people who are sipping on sugar-free drinks all day, thinking that it's harmless for your teeth, it's actually not. And here's the truth, okay? Many sugar-free drinks are highly acidic and can start to erode
your teeth, that outer layer of your tooth called the enamel. So you need to be cautious with things like energy drinks or even flavored waters, things like that, consuming them in a shorter amount of time to reduce your risk. Now, once again, I'm not saying cut it all out. We don't want to be extreme. I still enjoy my favorite drinks, but I try to just eat them at a meal time and not be sipping on them all day.
The fifth mistake you could be making that is causing cavities for you is overlooking airway issues. This is a huge one. Okay. If you're not addressing an issue like mouth breathing, which causes your mouth to dry out, becoming more acidic, and then you don't have your saliva there to help your mouth maintain homeostasis, then that can result in more cavities. So the truth is that mouth breathing can dry out your mouth and
When it's dry, it becomes acidic. It reduces the saliva flow. Your saliva is actually designed to help reverse small cavities and prevent cavities from occurring. It's your body's built-in maintenance system. So if you are breathing through your mouth day or night, even if it's just a little bit, like your lips are barely apart, you may consider seeking out a specialist to help you in addressing these airway issues so you can make that switch to nasal breathing.
I am personally on this path myself. So I actually have an obstructed airway. One of my nasal passages is almost completely closed and then I have really large tonsils from childhood. And so I'm on my journey to be able to get those out and also to be able to improve my airway. And then I'll also be doing my functional therapy to help correct the bad habit of mouth breathing. So there's a lot to this, but this is definitely a big piece that a lot of people are missing that does require.
a couple different care providers on your team to resolve. Now number six. the sixth mistake you could be making that is causing cavities is assuming that all healthy food is good for your oral health. So for example, we see a lot of patients come in and they're like, I don't give my kids any added sugar, we don't eat any seed oils, da da da da. But.
their kids have free rein and access to citrus fruits, dried fruits throughout the day, things like that, even kombucha, and not realizing that yes, those are healthy foods, they're good for you, but if you are snacking on them throughout the day, it's going to wreak havoc on your oral health and lead to more cavities. So here's the truth, sticky foods and acidic foods are ones you gotta watch out for. These can lead to more cavities, so do not snack on them.
keep them to a meal time.
The seventh mistake that you're making causing cavities is only trying to eliminate the bad bacteria in your mouth. So there's this myth that I just need to kill all the bacteria in my mouth to stop getting cavities because bacteria is bad. We all know that there is good bacteria and that we need to improve good bacteria both in our gut, but also in our mouth. And there are a lot of products out there that are a total bacteria.
bomb and they kill both the good guys and the bad guys and that could be making your cavities problem worse because the good bacteria are actually designed to help prevent cavities and protect your mouth and deliver more calcium into the teeth. Just super cool. So do not use products that are designed to kill everything. We need to be really strategic here and only target the bad bacteria and then we can use oral probiotics and prebiotics to encourage the beneficial bacteria.
which also help to neutralize acids in protecting your teeth.
Okay, so let's recap our seven mistakes. Number one, believing cavities are purely genetic. We're not making that mistake anymore. We know we have control. Number two, thinking that it's too difficult to sustain. This does not have to be extreme. It does not have to overrule your life. There are ways to still enjoy the foods that you love while achieving a cavity free life. Number three, rinsing your mouth after brushing. We're going to not rinse.
just spit and leave it on there for 30 minutes for maximum benefit. Number four, we're not going to trust sugar-free drinks. We know that these can have other hidden sources of acid that could be putting us more at risk.
Number five, we're not gonna be overlooking airway issues anymore because we know that mouth breathing increases your risk of cavities. Number six, we're not going to assume that all healthy food is good for your mouth and there is a strategy in the way in which you can consume them. And last, number seven, we're not just trying to wipe out all the bacteria in your mouth. We want to improve the good bacteria and selectively eliminate the bad bacteria to be able to get out of this cavities cycle for good.
So if what you learned today piqued your interest, you're wanting more help, maybe you're feeling pretty frustrated with getting cavities, you get a few every time you go to the dentist, then it's time to take action. Come and join us inside Confidently Cavity Free. This program will close on October 30th and we would love to help you and give you the highest level of support that we can offer. Eight coaching sessions, that private community you can ask questions at any time and we're there to support you.
and you can work through the video lessons and the podcast at a pace that works for you. do have lifetime access to that course.
So if this is feeling like something you need in your life to set yourself up for pristine oral health for 2025, go ahead and check the link in the show notes to get started with us. We cannot wait to see you inside.
Thanks for letting me steal the show today on Dentistry Disrupted. I know you love hearing from Dr. Clayton and his passion, but hopefully it's kind of fun to switch it up sometimes. Hear from someone just like yourself who started out with no knowledge about cavities or oral health and through Dr. Clayton and the education he's brought forward, been able to
