Our Location

Paranaque City, Manila, Philippines

Call Us

+639159656181

Send a Mail

info@dentist-manila.com

Working hours

9-6 PM Monday to Saturday

Book appointment
en_US English
en_US English de_DE Deutsch fr_FR Français ar العربية

Plaque

Is a transparent, sticky, bacterial biofilm that forms on a tooth’s surface. It is the main reason for dental decay and gum disease. In order to prevent plaque build-up, patients need to brush their teeth at least twice a day, floss and schedule regular dental exams.

Everyone has plaque. This is a coating that appears on the surfaces of teeth only minutes after we brush them. It is a completely normal thing, but it has to be removed at least twice a day. The thing is that if it stays longer it is inhabited with bacteria and can be transformed into calculus. Plaque is a translucent material that is made of food remains, salivary proteins, bacteria and their products. If you don’t brush regularly and properly plaque will become calculus. It will get minerals from the saliva and transform into a hard deposit. Since it’s transparent you can’t actually see it in the beginning if you don’t brush, you will notice a soft deposit with a light cream color. That is plaque buildup that is not transformed into calculus yet. It can also attach to the surfaces of restorations,

There are two types of dental plaque. The first one is supragingival, and located above the gumline. The second one is subgingival, located below the gumline.

Importance:

Dental plaque is one of the most important factors for caries, gingivitis and periodontal disease. It is very important for patients to see the meaning or oral hygiene and constant removing of plaque. If people don’t brush the levels of caries will be much higher, and the same thing applies for the periodontal disease. The bacteria and their products in the plaque are responsible for the appearance of gym disease and caries. The ones that are located on approximal surfaces, occlusal ones, and more release acids as final products. Those acids destruct the enamel and continue towards the dentin. The plaque located near the gumline has a direct impact in the appearance of gum disease. These bacteria once again cause inflammation.

Treatment:

The most important thing is brushing and flossing. With great oral hygiene there will be no chance of caries and periodontal disease. A lot of patients are not familiar with the proper brushing techniques. Every dentist can offer advice on how to brush, what type of brush to use and what type of toothpaste. Try choosing a toothbrush with soft bristles, and learn the technique. You should do it twice a day, or ideally after every meal. You can choose a toothpaste to your needs. It can be for sensitive teeth, teeth prone to decay, anti-calculus, whitening and more. Dental floss and interdental brushes are meant to remove the plaque that is located between teeth. Aside from everything you do at home, you should visit your dentist for regular checkups. People usually get their teeth professionally cleaned twice a year. With the scaling and planing, dentists also remove plaque. If there is no need of planing and scaling, they can use soft brushes to only remove plaque.

FacebookX-twitterYoutubeWhatsapp
© | All Rights Reserved.