Is it normal to have like 12 cavities when you go to the dentist?

My sister brushes and flosses CONSTANTLY (it sometimes even gets annoying!) and she gets like 12 cavities and a couple of root canals every time she goes to the dentist (biannualy) Is this normal? What should she do?

Is it normal to have like 12 cavities when you go to the dentist?
Get a second opinion. This is not normal. Perhaps he's redoing treatment unnecessarily, or she has some active problem that isn't being addressed properly.


On a preventive angle, also check her diet (use a dietitian?), particularly for sweet drinks like juices, soft drinks, sports drinks etc.


Get a high fluoride content toothpaste e.g. Colgate Neutrafluor 5000ppm - brush with this but don't rinse out with water. That way she'll get maximum exposure from the froth.


Don't waste time with largely ineffective mouthwashes like Listerine. If you want a truly antibacterial mouthwash, use one with a chlorhexidine content (Peridex in the US?), but only at night (it can put a brown stain if you use it a lot).
Reply:I'd recommend that your sister get a 2nd opinion. Sounds to me like she's getting screwed. I guess it's possible to have lots of cavities - there could be an underlying health problem.
Reply:She may have or do something that decreases the amount of protective enamel that usually coat the tooth surfaces. Maybe too much brushing with a very abrasive toothpaste?Cavities may mean that her teeth are not being adequately shielded from the sugars, acids, etc. that we put and produce in our mouths.
Reply:Tell her to get a second opinion. Dishonest dentist will have the habit of telling patients with old silver fillings that they need the filling taken out because of leakage and decay, or do root canals on teeth with those silver fillings because when they take the old filling out they have to go so deep to take the filling out they expose the nerve, then needing to do root canal treatment when the filling didn't need to be taken out in the first place. I worked for a guy like that. Get a second opinion. Or, If she drinks LOTS of coke or drinks with large amounts of sugar (tea, coffee, juice) or eats candy or mints through out the day she can be getting cavities, but she may still want to get a second opinion.
Reply:that's not normal, go to another dentist for a second oponion, he may be b**l S**** you.
Reply:she could be over brushing or brushing too hard. I suggest a sonicare toothbrush. They are wonderful and do the work for you. I have horrible teeth and it has done wonders for my husband and I. It is well worth the $100 we spent on it. My HB got his at the dentist office, but I bought the same exact thing at Target for about the same price.