By Joe Miskin, DDS, 3 Harwood Ave S Ajax 905-686-4343with help from Lisa Knowles, DDS--September 18, 2017    It seems that every patient says "But I always brush and floss," when we tell them they have several cavities on their dental examinations. They think that they should not get cavities because they "brush and floss their teeth regularly" -- even if they frequently eat or drink sugary foods and beverages. They don’t understand that if they make their juice or pop last all day and brush right after they are ok. Even if your drink is sugarless it can contain phosphoric and citric acid which are real-time tooth killers. Read the labels   When patients seem interested in changing their situation, we educate them about what contributes to the decay and how to prevent future decay. We help them realize that getting too much sugar and acid in their diets is a no-no. We tell them that bedtime brushing is the most important time to brush and floss in preventing decay because when sleeping there is a lot less saliva in the mouth to neutralize the sugars. We do a lot of teaching in our office but sometimes patients don’t listen and don’t want to hear any of what we teach them so we just fill his or her teeth. They may not be ready to learn or may not be ready to change. But we have just planted a seed, and we let them decide what will happen to that seed. Hopefully, it will grow and we will add a little water next checkup appointment to see how far it will grow. The child is helpless in these kinds of situations. The parents need to show an interest in their child's behavior and they are the ones to lead the change. Hi ho Silver! Remember that we are here for you. If you want help in this area just ask.