Dental Plaque and Calculus

In your mouth linger billions of bacteria. If you do not brush these smallest creatures away, they can reproduce unhinderedly: First plaque emerges, then calculus. This does not only look disgusting and smells but also benefits caries and paradontitis.

Bacteria and funguses, flagellate and amoebae – in our mouth reside several hundred kinds of micro-organisms. They populate the oral cavity, tongue and teeth: Approximately one trillion germs scurry in a gram of calculus, up to one billion bustle in one millilitre of saliva. We can brush the best we can – the inhabitants of the oral cavity grow again. That is good that way because they fulfil important tasks: They boost the immune defence and protect the mucosae.

These smallest creatures are harmful not until they are given the possibility of proliferating – for example due to lacking mouth hygiene. Then the disinfecting enzymes in the saliva cannot cope with the intruders anymore. They reproduce rapidly and soon form a dense dental felt. It can become a danger for your teeth: The germs produce acidity that erode the dental enamel. Stinking gases like hydrogen sulphide and ammonia develop.

The tighter the microbes carpet gets the worse stinks the mouth – maybe like rotten eggs, urine or faeces. If the Bacteria erode certain proteins in the mouth even sweetish stinking cadaverine is released – a substance that also develops during rot.

The bacteria creep into the direction of the dental neck, the crossover between the teeth and the gingiva and they make themselves comfortable in the gingival pocket that cases the lower end of the tooth. The tissue swells, aches and breaks away from the dental neck and exposes it bit by bit. Then it gets sensitive to pain.

Out of the bacteria carpet develops plaque

If you do not care for your teeth regularly, food debris get caught between the teeth. They are an outstanding basic food resource for germs. Together with the excretions of the microbes plaque develops, however the tartar is called. The dental felt thrives. Especially there, where it can deposit best – at the edge of the gingiva, in spaces, rills and in the gingival pockets.

If the plaque sticks to the tooth over a longer period of time, eventually calculus develops. Already a few days with uncleaned teeth suffice so that the plaque can harden. Because the bacteria film on the enamel mixes with food debris and minerals in the saliva, concentrates to a hard mass and calcifies. Calculus develops especially at places where extraordinarily much saliva gets, at the exterior side of the upper molars and at the inner side of the incisors. The brush cannot cope with this anymore. Only the dentist can remove that.

Plaque and calculus shape the best preconditions for a row of dental diseases like:

• Caries
• Inflammation of the gingiva (Gingivitis)
• Inflammations of the periodontal apparatus (paradontitis)

Prevent it yourself

Choose the right toothpaste in order to not have calculus developed in the first place. Anti-calculus- agents in toothpastes like pyrophosphates, phosphonates, or zinc citrate can reduce the emergent of calculus at least at the flat spots, perhaps also at spots where the saliva gets. Their effect, however, is not clearly proven.
You can also inhibit the development of plaque with mouth wash solutions. Like this the agent chlorhexidine digluconate kills off a lot of surplus germs in the oral cavity. The regular teethbrushing nevertheless do not replace such flushings. Because the solutions are not allowed to be used permanently, among others, because the microbes slowly get immune against the substances. Moreover teeth and fillings or even the tongue can colour brownish. Maybe do higher dosed remedies (0,1 to 0,2 percent) lead to a changed taste sensation over a longer period of time. More recommendable are mouth washes with lower agent concentration (0,06 percent). This one you can also use over longer period of time.
Good agents against plaque can also be mouth washes and tooth gels, that consist of amine and tin fluoride. Obviously these agents work likewise germicidal as chlorhexidine digluconate; they could have distinctly less side effects. However, both is not clearly proven.

Like this you clean properly

Who wants to have healthy teeth for a long time, can prevent plaque and calculus with the right care.
• Brush thoroughly. Best after each meal, but at least twice a day.
• Wipe with your brush from red (gingiva) to white (tooth). Like this you remove loosen plaque without damaging the gingiva
• No toothbrush penetrates into the interdental spaces. This is why you ought to use dental silk and interspace brushes regularly. Best each day, but at least three times a week in order to prevent hard sediments
• Clean your tongue each day, especially the rear part with the toothbrush or a scaler which is available in trade. The furrows of the tongue are true playgrounds for germs and yeast funguses