The best way to prevent your teeth from decay is by brushing them twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing on the daily basis. In addition, we recommend to visit your dentist every 6 months in order to get your teeth scaled and polished professionally. If you would like to find out why dental hygiene is important keep reading the blog.
How to prevent plaque and tartar?
Both plaque and tartar tend to accumulate on the surface of your teeth, and they can wreak havoc on the enamel if left untreated. Besides this, once the plaque starts to build up, it leads to a very un-aesthetic appearance of the teeth. In a nutshell, plaque is a colourless and sticky deposit of bacteria that is always forming on the surface of the tooth, right where the gums and the teeth meet.
No matter how good or often you brush your teeth, fighting the onset of plaque is a life-long process, as it will start to build up again as soon as you remove it. It is of the utmost importance to not just brush your teeth twice a day, but to have them professionally cleaned at least twice a year in order to prevent the development of cavities, which can weaken your teeth to a great extent. By brushing your teeth and flossing them constantly, you can minimise the negative effect plaque has on your teeth.
What is tartar and how does it differ from plaque?
Tartar, on the other hand, is different from plaque and this is actually a crusty deposits that traps stains on the surface of the teeth, and that often leads to their discoloration. Plaque appears before the tartar forms, and if you do not remove it regularly, it will eventually harden up and can only be removed by a professional who uses advanced dentistry techniques to clean your teeth and to prevent the bacteria from destroying your teeth.
There are several different aspects that influence the development of plaque and tartar, as the development rate varies greatly from one individual to another: simply put, some people are more likely to develop plaque and tartar than others, and for some patients plaque starts to build up even faster as they age. This is why a proper dental hygiene routine is of utmost importance for everybody, regardless of their age.