Unlike many diseases that afflict your body, the most common dental diseases — dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontitis (gum diseases) — are caused by bacterial infections that you can totally prevent and arrest if you are able-bodied, properly oriented, and motivated. (Caretakers who understand and apply antibacterial techniques in caring for their patient's mouths can prevent and arrest these infections in handicapped persons who are unable to properly care for themselves.)

Contrary to some opinions, one does not inherit bad teeth. One may adopt a lifestyle that is conducive to contagious bacterial infections caused largely by germ life that is transmitted from mouth to mouth by saliva. That is, disease-causing bacteria will attach themselves to the surfaces of your teeth and form destructive biofilms (plaques) that can invade and damage your teeth and/or the tissues and bone that hold them in your jaws. Those that invade the teeth cause cavities; those that invade the gum crevices surrounding the teeth (gingival sulci) cause gingivitis and destructive periodontitis.

However, neither of these destructive invasions will occur if you take a few precautions with what you eat, drink, suck, and chew, and if you use oral hygiene measures that have an adequate antibacterial potential.

If you want to enjoy excellent oral health — freedom from dental caries and gum diseases — and avoid the concerns, discomfort, and high costs of dental treatments, you need to do only two things: