What is Plaque vs Tartar?
Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial to the overall health of not only your mouth, but also your body! Your daily oral hygiene routine should involve flossing at least once a day, and brushing at least twice a day with a soft bristle toothbrush. Using a fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash can help prevent a buildup of bacteria and strengthen teeth. Oral hygiene helps keep plaque accumulation down and prevent tartar from forming.
What is the difference between plaque and tartar?
Plaque
Plaque is a soft, sticky film that builds up on your teeth and under the gum line throughout the day. When your teeth feel fuzzy, that is plaque. Plaque contains bacteria and whenever we eat, the bacteria feeds on the sugars in our food. These bacteria produce acids that erode tooth enamel and cause cavities.
Tartar
Tartar is hardened plaque. When the daily buildup of plaque is not removed, it can accumulate and calcify into tartar which is much harder to remove. Tartar should only be removed by a dental professional which is why seeing your dentist for a professional cleaning at least twice a year is so important.
A buildup of plaque and harder can not only lead to tooth decay, it can cause tooth discoloration and sensitivity. There is a pocket between the gum tissue and each tooth along the gum line that loves to hold onto plaque so flossing is important to help eradicate plaque buildup from gum pockets. When plaque is not removed regularly and is allowed to harden into tartar, the patient may experience gum recession and periodontal disease.
Once periodontal disease takes hold, you may require a deep cleaning by your dental hygienist to remove bacteria and tartar from below the gum line. This requires you to be numb so typically only one half of the mouth is cleaned at a time. A deep cleaning, or scaling and root planing, cleans out gum pockets so that the gum tissue can heal closer to the tooth surface.
When a patient develops gum recession, they may require a restorative surgery to help rejuvenate the area with a gum graft, depending on the severity of the recession. A gum graft is an effort to fix what scaling and root planing cannot.
Practicing good oral hygiene every day is essential to preventing tooth decay and protecting your gum tissue. It can be helpful to drink water and chew sugar-free gum after meals and snacks to prevent a buildup of plaque until you are able to brush and floss. Twice a year is the most common schedule for patients to receive a dental cleaning but those who are prone to tartar build up or have a higher risk of developing gum disease should be seen more frequently.