Around the roots of your teeth, yellow plaque gradually appears, with a very unpleasant odor. These plaques are called dental plaque. What is dental calculus? Why do those plaques appear? This article will help you answer the above questions.
1. What is dental calculus?
Tooth calculus is formed from food particles that have accumulated for a long time between teeth. Over time, those food particles will calcify and form tartar. Tartar is an ideal environment for bacteria to accumulate and grow. Tartar plaques are often opaque white, light yellow or yellow brown.
tartar is the main cause of diseases such as bad breath, periodontitis, gingivitis, loose teeth… or can cause tooth loss. Tartar can only be cleaned with specialized dental measures such as scaling.
2. How is tartar formed?
About 15 minutes after eating, a sterile film will form on the tooth surface. The appearance of a sterile membrane will create conditions for bacteria to attach to the tooth surface. After a short time, this bacteria will accumulate thicker and form plaque.
With plaque, we can clean it with a brush or dental floss. But when it has existed for a long time, plaque calcified by inorganic salt compounds in saliva will become harder, sticking firmly to the tooth surface or under the gums. At this time, plaque has become tartar, and if you want to clean your teeth, you must go to dental facilities to remove plaque.
3. What causes tartar to form?
Mostly, tartar is formed from each person’s oral hygiene habits, some common causes can be mentioned below:
- Not cleaning teeth regularly, not brushing teeth after eating and before going to bed.
- Not using dental floss and mouthwash to clean teeth, creating conditions for teeth. allows bacteria to grow in between teeth, creating tartar.
- Regularly eating and drinking chemical sugars found in carbonated soft drinks, candies… contributes to the rapid formation of plaque.
- Improper brushing, not completely cleaning the tooth surface,leaving plaque behind, over time forming tartar.
4. How to limit tartar formation?
Tooth tartar is not a problem to worry about, but if tartar is subjectively allowed to form and persist for a long time, it can cause tooth loss and bad odor in the oral cavity. Therefore, we should prevent tartar from forming in the following ways.
Have the habit of oral hygiene by brushing teeth after eating and before going to bed. Use dental floss and mouthwash to help clean teeth and crevices.
Do not use toothpicks to floss because it can easily cause bleeding gums and gaps between teeth. Do not eat foods high in sugar and starch, do not drink colorful carbonated drinks because they contribute to the formation of plaque very quickly in the mouth.
Increase the intake of fruits and natural sugars that are good for oral health such as xylitol, organic sugar…
If tartar is left for too long, you must go to the dentist’s office to have tartar removed early because tartar develops and lasts for a long time. in the mouth will lead to periodontitis, which in the long run will cause serious consequences.
Therefore, you should see a dentist to check and remove tartar, and clean your teeth every 6 months to best protect your teeth.
5. What effect does regular scaling of teeth have?
Removing plaque and tartar will bring many benefits to your oral health.
Scraping teeth helps keep teeth strong, preventing dental diseases such as periodontitis, bad breath, tooth decay, tooth loss…
Tarcal deposits on the surface face, causing yellow, dull teeth and bad breath. Scaling your teeth will help keep your teeth cleaner, shinier, and no longer have bad breath, making you more confident when communicating.
Tonsillitis, sore throat, and heart-related diseases can also be spread by bacteria in tartar, causing infection to nearby organs. If you remove tartar, it will help limit inflammation to other organs.
6. Does scaling your teeth hurt?
When scaling your teeth, there will be a feeling of sensitivity or a little bleeding. This issue also depends on the tartar condition and sensitivity level of each person. After removing tartar, you will feel a feeling of sensitivity when drinking hot or cold water. However, you should not worry too much because this feeling will go away after a few days.
You should not wait until there is a lot of tartar to get it removed, because when tartar forms, it is time to cause tooth decay.injury and leave consequences later. Therefore, every 6 months, you should have your teeth examined and scaled once to ensure the best oral health for yourself.
If you have never had your teeth scaled and are afraid of the pain of having your teeth scaled, you can refer to the article >>> Is dental scaling painful?
