tartar

What is Tartar and Dental Plaque?

Tartar also called calculus, is hardened dental plaque.
Dental plaque is soft, extremely sticky, and is the buildup of
millions of bacteria. It then gets hardened
and is called tartar.

Plaque damages tooth enamel and leads to cavities.
It can get under your gums and irritates gum tissues.
It also sticks to fillings and other dental work.
Tartar also absorbs stains, and causes cosmetic issues.

Signs and symptoms of Gum Disease:
Red or swollen gums
Tender or bleeding gums
Painful chewing
Loose teeth
Sensitive teeth
Gums that have pulled away from your teeth

Gingivitus:
According to Crest, 75% of Americans will experience
gum disease at some point in their life.
When the gums bleed and become swollen, plaque has made its
way under the gum line. This is called gingivitis.
This can lead to pain and weakened tooth enamel as well.

Causes:
Poor oral Hygiene,
Not fully removing plaque,
poor nutrition,
(sugars and starches), such as Candy, milk, Cakes,
soft drinks, or raisins are frequently left on the
teeth
Chronic diseases

Prevention:
The best way to treat this problem is
to get it early.
Brushing twice a day and flossing at least
twice a day will help you to eliminate
as much plaque as possible.
Mouthwash can also be helpful to eliminate
plaque.

Many children tend to get tartar quickly due to
things like candy, cake, and soft drinks like soda.
Make an appointment as soon as you can so a
dental professional can remove plaque and tartar
from your child's teeth.
Professionals use special tools to accomplish this.

Removal:
Dental Hygienists and Dentists make it look easy when
removing tartar from your teeth. This leads
to the belief that one can do the removal themselves
and save themselves from an appointment.

It is very important that you don't attempt
to remove tartar on your own. It can be very dangerous
to do this because it can cause damage to your
gums and create recession in the gums.
This is where gums move away from the teeth and expose
roots. These roots are sensitive, can be damaged,
and can lead to infections.

All in all, maintaining your child's dental care
routine can be easy.
If your child has not had a dental visit in a while,
or if you don't have a Children's general dentist for your child,
please contact us.

To schedule a first consultation or visit, please contact us at
one of our locations:
SCHEDULE an appointment here

Personal Dental Care: Brush Your Plaque Away

Personal Dental Care:
The primary aim of personal dental care is to prevent cavities from forming in the teeth.
In order for you to prevent cavities and maintain a healthy set of teeth, you need to remove plaque, a transparent layer of bacteria that stays on
the surface of your teeth.

Prevent Plaque: Some effective ways to prevent plaque from forming is to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once a day. Brushing your teeth will help stimulate your gums and in turn, keep them healthy and less susceptible to gum diseases.

Choose The Right Toothpaste: Toothpaste is typically made of detergents, abrasives, and foaming agents. The most common active ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride.
Fluoride is the component of the toothpaste that is responsible for preventing cavities from forming.

When choosing what toothpaste to buy, make sure that it has a great amount of fluoride to keep your mouth cavity-free. Studies say that 1 out of 10 people has a tendency to accumulate tartar rapidly. What is tartar? It is actually plaque that is difficult to remove and damaging because it is already in hardened form.

There are anti-tartar toothpaste and mouthwashes available in the market today which can help prevent tartar formation. Another great tip for preventing the formation of tartar is brushing the teeth located near the salivary glands.

For individuals that seem to have teeth that are sensitive to pressure, cold, and heat, there are toothpastes specially made for sensitive teeth.

However, a visit to the dentist may be most appropriate so that the dentist can assess whether the sensitivity of the teeth may lead to a serious problem such as nerve inflammation or a severe cavity.

Learn How To Floss Although brushing is considered to be the most important part of the personal dental care routine, it doesn’t actually have the ability to remove the plaque and food particles between the teeth, under the gum line, or within braces.

Dental floss is the weapon of choice to get rid of the abovementioned teeth and mouth “pests”. Flossing can be done at least once a day.

There are actually different kinds of flosses and these depend on the space that a person has in between his or her teeth. Most dentists would usually suggest unwaxed floss because it is easier to glide through narrow spaces.

However, recent studies have discovered that there is actually no significant difference in the effectiveness of the different kinds of dental flosses. When flossing your teeth, you should be very careful so that you can avoid injuring your gums.

Remember, gums are very sensitive and they can bleed easily. Never force the floss under the gums; just curve the floss around the edge of your tooth and form
a letter “c” then glide the floss up and down the side of each tooth. Do not forget to floss the backsides of your teeth as well.

All in all, maintaining your very own personal dental care routine can be easy, as long as you have enough willingness and determination to achieve a great set
of pearly whites.