Understanding and perfecting your oral hygiene is the absolute trick to avoiding tartar or dental plaque. First off, have you imagined what plaque on the teeth really is? Some Nigerians have termed it potash on the teeth while a few knowledgeable ones who truly understands dental health know this as plaque. Dental plaque or tartar is yellow or cream-like substances found on the surface of the teeth. Sometimes they go all sticky, other times they are hard. These yellow like substances gradually build up on your teeth just as the way ants build their ant holes. Unfortunately, when food, saliva, fluids combine with these deposits, they inhibit bacterias that eventually affects your teeth and gum, sometimes the whole body.
Just as you can’t actually see the bacterias under your nails, you can’t see the bacterial piled up on a plaque. Studies have revealed that plaque contains millions of bacteria. Imagine that!. The irony of it all is that no matter how you tried removing already built-up dental plaque from your teeth with proper tooth brushing and flossing, plaque never gets off. It is basically like pouring water on stone.
How Does Dental Plaque Eventually Become Tartar?
One of the major reasons we advise you to visit the dental clinic every six months for a regular dental check-up is to enable proper teeth cleaning. Oh yes! Proper tooth brushing and flossing play several roles in helping you attain proper hygiene. However, there are certain crevices that the brushes don’t do justice to. In cases where a little plaque is left untreated, a little mineral from your saliva deposited onto the surface of the plaque can make it harden within 24 to 72 hours thereby converting already built-up plaque to tartar. While plaque is easily removed, you would need professional cleaning to get tartar out of your mouth.
Don’t feel bad, research has proven that about 68% of adults have tartar. There are a hunch bunch of adults that neglect dental plaque. Another name for tartar is dental calculus.
How Do I Get Dental Plaque And Tartar?
Being conscious of what you consume is the first step to overcoming plaque and tartar. Naturally, the combination of food, saliva, and fluids in your mouth combine to allow the functionality of bacteria on already consumed meals.
Amongst these meals, common foods that have proven to cause the formation of plaque to include carbohydrates, the sugar contained meals like pet drinks and candies. Consuming high sugar contained meals can cause an increase in plaque formation thereby leading to tartar.
Dental Conditions Related To Dental Plaque and Tartar
Tartar when neglected can lead to gum diseases in which in some cases may be life-threatening. Dental conditions related to dental plaque and tartar include
Cavities
Acidic contents produced by the dental plaque or enamel can seep into your tooth enamel. When this happens, there are tendencies that these acids would eat away your tooth enamel.
Gingivitis
Imagine having just a little scratch on your flesh and left untreated. This is what happens when you have a pile-up of tartar on the tooth. It eventually begins to fill the crevice of the tooth, eating through the gum.
Bad Breath
Dental plaque is one of the major causes of halitosis, popularly known as bad breath. When a bin is left for a long time, it excludes odor because of decomposition. So is the case of dental plaque in your mouth.
How Do You Prevent Plaque and Tartar BuildUp
Maintaining proper oral hygiene is the best way to prevent the build up of tartar and plaque. Here are a few ways to prevent the build-up of tartar and plaque.
- Brush twice daily with fluoride contained toothpaste, soft brush, and water
- Ensure that you floss as much as possible.
- Ensure that you visit your dentist at least twice a day.
- Eat consciously. Avoid sugary substances and rinse your mouth properly after every meal.
- Use a mouthwash with the dentist’s prescription.
We can help you maintain perfect oral hygiene, to get started, kindly book an appointment with one of our dentists here.