But what the heck IS plaque, and why is it such a danger to our teeth?

What Plaque Is

Plaque is a soft, colorless biofilm that continually forms on our teeth and gums. It is mainly made of bacteria that occur naturally in your mouth. Plaque by itself is a perfectly natural part of your mouth’s chemistry and not inherently harmful. However, when plaque combines with sugars in your mouth or is allowed to build up to the extent that it produces its own bacteria, it becomes the bane of general dentistry.

What Plaque Does

When combined with the bacteria in your mouth, plaque produces acid that can seriously damage your teeth and gums. The reason your general dentistry practitioner cautions against sugary foods when you’re trying to keep your teeth healthy is because bacteria form easily from those sugars. Sugar = bacteria = plaque acid. The acid breaks down your tooth enamel, which leaves your teeth open to decay.

If you don’t get rid of the plaque in your mouth daily, it hardens into tartar. You’ve heard of tartar-control toothpaste? If you don’t allow the plaque in your mouth to age, it won’t calcify and turn into tartar. Tartar does all the same damage plaque does, but it can be harder to remove because it is no longer soft.

As if all that weren’t enough, it can also contribute to gingivitis and bad breath.

How to Prevent Plaque Build-Up

Your general dentistry practices are your best defense against plaque: brushing and flossing properly and getting regular dental check-ups. You can also keep plaque from getting the sugars it needs to produce the enamel-destroying acids by keeping your diet low in sugars and carbohydrates. You may also consider carrying a spare toothbrush around and doing a quick brush job after you eat things that have sugar in them.

1. Pick a good floss. There are many flosses out there that aren’t up to general dentistry standards. If they break or fray easily, small fibers can get caught between your teeth, which will only make your flossing problems worse. You can also find flossing aids to help manipulate the unique gaps created by crowns, bridges and caps. If you’re not sure which floss is right for you, ask your dentist.

2. Spool out a long length. One of the most frequent problems is not measuring out enough floss to easily get a length to your back teeth, which can mean you wind up skipping sections out of inconvenience. You need about a foot and a half of floss, a few inches of which will be used for winding around your fingers for stability.

3. Start at the same place every time. We recommend starting at the upper right side if you’re a lefty and the upper left side if you’re a righty. Work your way all the way across to the opposite side on the top, and then do the bottom teeth in the same pattern. By maintaining the same pattern every time you floss, you’ll minimize the chances you’ll forget a section of teeth.

4. Gently slide the floss between teeth. If you have teeth that fit closely together, the temptation is to jerk the floss hard to get through the tight seam. Don’t do this! When the floss breaks through the seam, it will hit your gums hard and do serious damage. Be patient and slowly slide the floss back and forth until it works its way through the join.

5. Get both sides of the gumline. At the top of each tooth’s edge is a triangle of gumline. Many people only slide the floss up and down once, which means they only get one side of the gumline and the other goes unflossed. Make sure you carefully slide the floss as far as it will go on each side of that triangle – but don’t push too hard at the top! That’s where your tooth connects to your gum tissue, and you shouldn’t push the floss so far that you feel pain.

6. Keep your floss clean. When you move on to the next tooth, unwind a bit of floss from one side and re-wind it on the other. That way you’ll have a clean section of floss for the next tooth, and you won’t simply slide around plaque amongst your teeth.

Thankfully, dentists are still around to help out when you mess up, but they’d much rather you had healthy teeth than have you show up at the office needing crowns, bridges or caps.

Here are some step by step instructions followed by general dentistry practitioners to keep teeth healthy.

1. Put a little toothpaste on your moistened toothbrush. You don’t need a huge amount of toothpaste! Just a little goes a long way.

2. Start with your upper molars. Working front to back ensures you won’t miss any teeth by accident. Always start on the same side, too – if you’re left-handed, start on your right side. If you’re right-handed, start on your left.

3. Hold the toothbrush parallel to the outside edge of your teeth. Brush for twenty seconds for each tooth. Your toothbrush covers two to three teeth, so you can use twenty seconds for each set of teeth covered by the brush.

4. Move the brush gently in a circular motion. Most people brush back and forth, which isn’t nearly as effective. Brushing in a circular motion means you’ll get into the dip that runs next to your gums. If you brush back and forth, you’ll miss that semi-circle and leave the part of your tooth next to your gums covered in plaque and food.

5. Brush one side at a time until you have brushed all the teeth individually from front to back. If you’re starting on your left, that means you brush the outside edge of your molars all the way to your front teeth on the left, then switch to the right upper side and do that side.

6. When you’ve finished with the upper outside edge, switch to the lower molars and follow the same process of brushing, moving from back to front, one side at a time.

7. After you’ve done the outside edge of all your teeth, switch to the inside and repeat the process. Brush in the same order as you did for the upper teeth – that way you won’t forget a side.

8. Brush the biting surface of your teeth, using the same order again. Don’t forget to brush for the full twenty seconds! Your teeth will thank you later when they don’t have caps, bridges or crowns.

9. Brush your tongue.

10. Rinse! You’re all done. Ask your general dentistry practitioner if there’s a particular mouthwash they recommend. Some “germ-killing” mouthwashes can actually cause damage to your teeth.

Call and schedule an appointment to see why patients from all over the Delaware Valley, the East Coast, and as far away as Europe have chosen Pennsylvania Dental Associates.

604 Washington Square
Philadelphia PA 19106
Tel. 215.627.0777
Fax 215.627.0778

For the same reason people come from around the corner…

Our dentists maintain an active participation in the academic world. By combining sophisticated academic innovation with proven clinical expertise, our dentists achieve extraordinary results and lasting satisfaction, from basic procedures to advanced dental rehabilitation. Our goal is total patient satisfaction, each and every time.

As professionals, we know those fears are completely unfounded, but we understand that when you go to the dentist, just as when you go to the doctor, you may be highly nervous. We’ve cobbled together a few tips for making your visit to the dentist a lot easier.

Talk to Us. No, not when we’re doing work; we hate trying to communicate around a mouthful of toothpaste too! But whether you’re here for general dentistry or more complicated prosthodontics procedures, one of the best ways to calm down is to exchange a bit of small talk with your dentist or hygienist. Ask about his or her day and talk a bit about yourself. The more you talk, the calmer you’ll become, and you’ll make friends with your dentist, too.

Knowledge is Power. Ask us questions! Your dentist should be more than happy to answer any questions you have about general dentistry or prosthodontics. Knowing exactly what’s going to happen before you sit in the chair can be a huge load off of your mind. If you’ve been thinking that pointy little instrument is secretly a torture device, finding out it’s simply a plaque-cleaning tool is not only a relief, but pretty interesting. Find out what you’re afraid of and you’ll banish the fear.

Bring a Headset. For prosthodontics procedures that take a fair period of time, like getting crowns, bridges, and caps, bring along a portable headset with your favorite music or a book on tape. Most prosthodonics procedures don’t require any communication from you, and if your dentist needs to ask you a question or request that you tilt your head back, he can always tap your shoulder to request you turn down the volume for a moment. By the time you’re done, you’ll have enjoyed some entertainment and be ready to greet the world with a new smile!

Above all else, comfort is key. You want to be comfortable with your dentist, and you want to be able to sit back and relax, knowing that you’re well taken care of. At our offices, we try to make sure our patients have everything they need to be comfortable in the dentist’s chair, and most of that is open, friendly communication.

The more you learn about your dentist, the more you’ll be ready to trust them with your teeth, your gum health, and your newly-minted crowns, bridges, and caps.