Dental calculus. Why does it appear and how to deal with it?
Dental plaque is a thin film that is invisible to the eye and contains bacteria that can destroy the top layer of tooth enamel. If you do not follow oral hygiene, plaque will become denser and more visible very soon. It is especially noticeable (in the form of dark spots) in smokers and lovers of strong tea and coffee.
If the necessary measures are not taken, plaque hardening will result in tartar - a hard deposit in the gum area. The stone can be of different colors: from yellowish to dark brown, it adheres very tightly to the tooth, and it is simply impossible to remove it at home. These deposits can lead to bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease.
How to prevent the appearance of tartar?
Since it will not be possible to remove dental plaque on your own, all efforts should be aimed at preventing their appearance. It should be noted that tartar can form not only due to insufficient oral care.
The reasons for its appearance may be:
metabolic disease,
eating mostly liquid food,
individual characteristics of the acid-base balance in the mouth.
It is worth noting that tartar most often appears with unsatisfactory oral hygiene. Many people mistakenly think that brushing your teeth a couple of times a day is enough. In fact, cleaning your mouth should ideally be done after every meal. Of course, it is not always convenient to do this with a toothbrush . Then you can use special rinsing agents. In addition, the brush cannot always remove food debris from the interdental space. It is imperative to use dental floss and mini dental brushes.
But using chewing gum to cleanse your teeth after eating, as it turned out, is not very useful. It removes food residues, but the gastric juice released during chewing has a bad effect on the digestive system. Gastroenterologists do not recommend chewing gum to all those who have at least some stomach problems.
Removal of tartar in a dental clinic
How do you know if you have tartar? It is necessary to visit the dentist at least once a year. This period is quite sufficient to detect the formation of tartar in time. And if it does appear, you need to delete it. Removal of calculus usually does not take much time, you can get by with one visit to the doctor. This procedure can be performed by different methods: mechanical, ultrasonic and laser.
Mechanical methods
Removal of calculus is performed with special dental instruments (curettes). They have sharply sharpened edges, which scrape off unnecessary deposits. This is a rather old method and with its help it is not always possible to completely get rid of tartar; moreover, curettes can injure the gum. That is why this method is not used in modern dental clinics. If the doctor suggests removing tartar in this way, it is better to abandon the procedure and look for another specialist.
The more modern Air-Flow method also belongs to mechanical methods. With the help of special equipment, a powdery mixture is supplied under high pressure (through a fine tip), which literally knocks down particles of tartar. This method is good from a safety point of view, but it is only effective for small deposits.
Ultrasonic method
Ultrasound will help to remove large dental plaque. A special device, an ultrasonic scaler, emits vibration waves that destroy tartar. This method does not damage the enamel and does not injure the surrounding soft tissues.
Laser method
The most modern way to remove tartar is a laser. The laser beam destroys harmful deposits, crushing them into tiny pieces. Then they are washed out under the influence of a water-air mixture. This procedure, due to its non-contact action, is considered the safest. In addition, it has the following advantages:
painlessness and absence of any unpleasant sensations,
the bactericidal properties of the laser destroy any microorganisms, which reduces the risk of new deposits,
the procedure is suitable for sensitive gums and teeth.
The laser method has only one drawback, it is quite expensive. Therefore, not every dental clinic practices this method of cleaning teeth.
Now you know how to prevent the formation of tartar and how to remove it if it does appear. Take advantage of dental care tips and choose the right dental clinic.