Light and Mirrors
Use a good source of light, a facial or hand mirror, and a dental mouth mirror to see the inner and outer tooth surfaces, backs and sides of teeth, and soft tissue.
Healthy Tips for Teeth
Daily plaque control, careful brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits help protect teeth and gums.
What Is Plaque?
Plaque is a sticky film that is almost invisible to the eye. It clings to tooth surfaces, between teeth, and in the tiny crevices around the gums. Plaque is made of saliva, tissue cells from the inner surfaces of the mouth, and living bacteria.
Plaque can build up in significant amounts within a 24-hour period. Because the mouth stays wet with saliva, plaque continues to form even if you have not eaten or have just brushed.
Plaque should be removed daily. If it is not removed, it can harden into tartar or calculus between the teeth, on tooth surfaces, and at the gum line. Over time, it can contribute to periodontal gum disease, mouth odor, bone loss around tooth roots, tooth separation, and adult tooth loss.
Refined carbohydrates, including sugar and starches, can accumulate in plaque. Mouth bacteria can turn those carbohydrates into acids. Sugar does not have to taste sweet to be sugar. These acids can dissolve enamel over time, leading to tooth sensitivity and tooth decay. Hardened calculus and tooth decay require a dental visit for diagnosis, treatment, and preventive care.
Your Mouth Is A Mirror Image Of Your Body
Preventive Care Daily Routine
A home care hygiene kit can help you see plaque, remove it carefully, and check your progress.
Brush and Floss
Use a basic toothbrush with soft nylon double-rounded bristles and a dental floss dispenser with unwaxed floss that can better engage tooth surfaces than waxed floss.
Reveal Plaque
A harmless disclosing red dye agent, such as chewable wafer tablets or a rinse, can contrast plaque and tartar so it is easier to remove effectively.
Rinse and Tools
Use toothpaste of choice or powdered baking soda, water or a non-alcoholic mouthwash, and optional tools such as a water pick, rotary toothbrush, tongue scraper, floss pick, or proxabrush.
Instruction Guide To Follow For Success
- Chew the disclosing tablet and let it dissolve completely. Swish it around for 30 seconds. It will stain plaque, tartar, and inner mouth tissue. The color on mouth tissue will fade with time.
- Immediately rinse your mouth and examine your teeth with a facial mirror. Use a dental hand mirror to better see the red-stained plaque that needs focused brushing and flossing.
- Brush tooth surfaces the way they grow: top teeth downward and bottom teeth upward. Use wrist-twist rolling movements and let some bristles slide gently under the gum edge. Wet the bristles first and do this first pass without toothpaste.
- Hold the toothbrush at about a 45-degree angle toward two or three teeth at a time. Without disengaging the bristle edges from the tooth surfaces, use short back-and-forth rocking motions until all teeth are clean. On grinding and chewing surfaces, use the bristle tips in short scrubbing motions to reach the grooves.
- Use unwaxed dental floss. Cut about 18 inches, wrap the ends around the middle fingers, and leave about 1 1/2 inches between the hands. Pull tight and guide the floss with thumbs for top teeth and index fingers for lower teeth. Keep the floss under control and do not snap it suddenly between teeth.
- Use gentle sawing motions to pass between neighboring teeth. Once through, slide the floss just beneath the gum edge at the tooth base several times with a scraping motion. Repeat on both sides of each space until all tooth surfaces are flossed.
- If gums bleed after more than a week of plaque removal, schedule a dental office visit for further diagnosis and treatment care.
- Rinse again and examine your teeth with the mirror. You should see less red-stained plaque on and between teeth.
- Brush again using toothpaste of choice or powdered baking soda, following the same brushing method. If red stain remains on or between teeth, floss again.
- By this step, nearly all red stain should be removed from brushed gum and tooth areas. If any remains, brush and rinse again.
- Clean the tongue, especially the far back area, with toothbrush bristles or a tongue scraper to remove stained exfoliating tissue.
People with fixed or removable dental devices should follow the specific instructions given by their dentist or hygienist.
Plaque Control Action Pointers
- Brush after meals. When brushing is not possible, rinse your mouth after eating.
- Brush and floss once a day, preferably at night before going to bed.
- Avoid sweet foods, especially between meals, and remember that sugar does not have to taste sweet. Normal saliva containing bacteria can convert refined carbohydrates into tooth-decaying acids.
- Replace your toothbrush at least every three months and store it properly with a covering. A worn toothbrush cannot brush properly and may damage soft tissue.
- Periodically check brushing with a disclosing tablet. It will show areas of heavy plaque accumulation and spots that need extra attention.
- Keep regular medical and dental appointments.