Dental plaque in adults

What is plaque

This is nothing more than the accumulation of food debris and representatives of the oral microbiome in the form of a thin, translucent film. Over time, it becomes noticeable, voluminous, and darkens under the influence of other factors.

Plaque accumulates in places where it is easier to gain a foothold:

• in fissures – natural depressions between the mounds of chewing teeth;
• in the cervical region, where it lies on the gum, but can go under it – into the physiological (or pathological) periodontal pocket;
• on contact surfaces, that is, between teeth, places that are hard to reach for cleaning;
• at the junction of fillings and enamel, if the filling conditions were violated or when the filling material was worn out over time.

But over time, in the absence of proper oral hygiene, plaque and stone can cover the entire tooth and go under the gum.

Plaque can be soft and forms in everyone. This process is connected with the natural life cycle of the microbiome. Recall that more than 400 types of microorganisms live in the mouth.

In the absence of high-quality brushing of the teeth, soft plaque hardens and turns into stone – mineralized dental deposits.

In the process of plaque formation, 3 stages can be conditionally distinguished, its development begins immediately after brushing your teeth:

• at the first stage, which lasts about 4 hours, the bacteria that have survived after brushing your teeth begin to actively multiply. And by the end of this phase, about a million bacteria are found in the mouth;
• after 7 hours, this amount increases tenfold – plaque can be seen in the mouth, but it is dominated by streptococci and lactobacilli.
• after another 7 hours, the plaque is more noticeable and if you do not brush your teeth, then it begins to gradually harden.

Causes of dental plaque in adults

Dental plaque is a consequence of physiological processes. However, there are predisposing factors for its rapid development:

Neglect of hygiene rules. Lack of quality dental cleaning is the main cause of plaque, and this is one of the factors contributing to the formation of tartar and a number of consequences: caries, gum disease.

Features of nutrition. Food is a natural factor in cleansing the mouth. Chewing provides mechanical cleaning of the teeth with food, saliva is produced, additionally washing the teeth and restraining the reproduction of the oral microbiome.

bite pathology. Misaligned teeth make it difficult to clean them. Some bite pathologies create prerequisites for its accumulation.

Diseases and medications. Some drugs and diseases of the internal organs cause xerostomia – dry mouth. Saliva is the protector of the oral cavity, controlling the development and reproduction of bacteria.

Smoking. In dentistry, there is such a thing as a smoker’s plaque. Tobacco smoke contains about 400 substances, resins settle on the surface of the teeth, creating a sticky film on which food debris and bacteria settle. Tobacco smoke additionally stains the plaque, as a result, the color of the teeth will change: from dark yellow to brown, black. Due to the fact that this film is sticky, massive tartar quickly forms.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of dental plaque is based on visual and instrumental research methods. Abundant plaque and calculus is visible to the naked eye, even for the patients themselves. In hard-to-reach places, it is difficult to do without special tools – a dental probe.

For clarity, as part of a controlled brushing procedure, dentists use plaque indicators – tablets or solutions that stain it in bright colors.

How to get rid of plaque in adults By following all the rules of brushing your teeth, using a brush and paste, additional hygiene products, namely dental floss and irrigators, the level of hygiene increases. After all, these tools remove plaque from hard-to-reach places.

Over time, soft plaque, which was not removed in a timely manner, turns into a stone and it is impossible to get rid of it at home. This requires professional tools.

Important! Even regular brushing of teeth with the use of additional products and hygiene items does not exclude the need for preventive visits to the dentist in order to professionally remove dental plaque.

Modern treatments

Professional oral hygiene is a set of measures aimed at removing dental deposits. Mineralized dental deposits are tightly soldered to the surface of the tooth, so a brush and even an irrigator are not enough.

Only in the dentist’s office can you get rid of them, and the most popular is the sandblasting technique – Air Flow. A finely dispersed suspension, served together with water, effectively removes dental deposits and polishes the enamel at the same time.

This procedure must be repeated 2-4 times a year, everything will depend on the rate of plaque formation.

To remove subgingival deposits, the Vector apparatus is used. Special nozzles allow you to qualitatively clean periodontal pockets, refusing surgical treatment for complex gum disease – periodontitis.

Prevention of plaque formation

To resist the rapid formation of plaque and stone, you need to take care of a full brushing of your teeth using several products and hygiene items:

Toothbrush. The main thing in it is the bristles, the more bristles in the bundles, the better. However, it must work correctly. Research shows that evenly trimmed stubble is the one that does the job best. And all additional inclusions in the form of rubberized inserts have specific goals and even have their own indications.

Paste. This is a medicinal formula designed to solve certain problems: prevention of caries, gum disease, hypersensitivity, etc.

Dental floss and irrigators. Flosses are hygiene items designed to clean the contact surfaces of the teeth that are inaccessible to the brush. Irrigators are household appliances that supply water under pressure in order to clean the contact surfaces of the teeth and periodontal pockets from plaque.

Tongue scrapers. Cleansing the tongue is a prerequisite for daily brushing of the teeth. Microorganisms accumulate on its surface, where they multiply and develop.

Popular questions and answers

Plaque is constantly forming, it is impossible to resist this process. However, you need to remove it, otherwise the consequences will not be long in coming. Answers to the most popular questions about dental plaque Natalia Rogova.