Dental plaque is the most damaging substance found inside the mouth, and it requires a great deal of attention in order to prevent irreversible damage from occurring. If you can run your teeth over your tongue and feel a “fuzzy” film along your gum line, then you know exactly what plaque feels like. It is the sticky, white substance that comes off when you floss your teeth or even when you scrape the sides of your teeth with your fingernail. Plaque naturally develops on a daily basis, and it needs to be removed on a daily basis as well.
Dental plaque is a microbial film that develops inside the mouth as a result of eating and drinking anything other than water. Inside the mouth there are millions of bacteria that thrive off of the foods and beverages that you consume. As these bacteria come into contact with sugar and tiny particles left behind after a meal or a snack, they cause a chemical reaction to occur. As the bacteria work to break down left behind particles, they begin creating acids to assist them. These acids quickly go to work on the particles, yet when the particles have been taken care of they do not stop working. Acids are notorious for eating their way through anything that is in their path, and the acids that are created inside the mouth are no exception. As the acids continue, they will move on to your tooth enamel and gum tissues – causing cavities, gum disease, and other significant damage.
In order to stop the destruction caused by dental plaque, plaque must be removed from the teeth on a daily basis. Dental floss is the tool that was specifically designed to successfully remove plaque from the teeth. Your toothbrush was not designed for this, making dental floss the most important tool in your dental routine arsenal. Dental floss is able to slide underneath plaque and scrape it away from the teeth and from the tight spaces between the teeth.
If plaque is not removed on a daily basis, it will continue to develop in a thick layer that will harden into dental tartar. Tartar leaves the teeth in a constant assault against acids because it cannot be removed easily. In fact, the only way to remove tartar is through professional scraping at the dentist’s office. Therefore, if your least favorite part of a dental visit is the scraping of your teeth – then flossing at home on a daily basis is your best option!
Gainesville Dental Group cares about the health of your mouth. We encourage you to floss on a daily basis to protect your teeth from the damaging effects of dental plaque.
Posted on behalf of Gainesville Dental Group
