Dental Plaque

WHAT IS A PLAQUE ?


 .Plaque is a soft, sticky film that builds up on your teeth and contains millions of bacteria. The bacteria in plaque cause tooth decay and gum disease if they are not removed regularly through brushing and flossing.

 Plaque that is not removed daily by brushing and flossing between teeth can eventually harden into tartar. Brushing and flossing become more difficult as tartar collects at the gum line. As the tartar, plaque and bacteria continue to increase, the gum tissue can become red, swollen and possibly bleed when you brush your teeth. This is called Gingivitis, an early stage of gum (periodontal) disease.

WHAT CAUSES PLAQUE  AND WHY IT IS HARMFUL ?

 Plaque develops when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches), such as milk, soft drinks, raisins, cakes, or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay. Plaque can also develop on the tooth roots under the gum and cause breakdown of the bone supporting the tooth.

HOW CAN PLAQUE FORMATION BE PREVENTED   ?

 1. To prevent plaque buildup, brush your teeth at least twice a day with a soft, rounded-tip bristled toothbrush. Pay particular attention to the space where the gums and teeth meet. Use a fluoride-containing toothpaste.
 2.   Floss between teeth at least once a day to remove food particles and bacteria.
  3.  See your dentist or oral hygienist every 6 months for a check-up and teeth cleaning.
  4.  Ask your dentist if a dental sealant is appropriate for you. Dental sealants are a thin, plastic coating that are painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth to protect them from cavities and decay.
  5.  Eat a balanced diet and limit the number of between-meal snacks. If you need a snack, choose nutritious foods such as plain yogurt, cheese, fruit, or raw vegetables. Vegetables, such as celery, help remove food and help saliva neutralize plaque-causing acids.
6.   Use of an antibacterial mouth rinse can reduce bacteria that cause plaque and gum disease

HOW TO BRUSH TEETH

                                                 

                 What Is the Right Way to Brush?

Proper brushing takes at least two minutes — that's right, 120 seconds.
. To properly brush your teeth, use short, gentle strokes, paying extra attention to the gumline, hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings, crowns or other restoration. Concentrate on thoroughly cleaning each section as follows:

    Clean the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
    Clean the inner surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
    Clean the chewing surfaces
    For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue, too.
Tilt the brush at a 45° angle against the gumline and sweep or roll the brush away from the gumline.
Gently brush the outside, inside and chewing surface of each tooth using short back-and-forth
Gently brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen breath.

strokes.

                

 

 

                                 TEETH CLEANING  

Teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities (dental caries), gingivitis, and periodontal disease.

Brushing :

Careful and frequent brushing with a toothbrush helps to prevent build-up of plaque bacteria on the teeth. Electric toothbrushes were developed, and initially recommended for people with strength or dexterity problems in their hands, but they have come into widespread general use. The effectiveness of electric toothbrushes at reducing plaque formation and gingivitis is superior to that of conventional manual toothbrushes.

Flossing and interdental cleaning :

In addition to brushing, cleaning between teeth may help to prevent build-up of plaque bacteria on the teeth. This may be done with dental floss or interdental brushes.

80% of cavities occur in the grooves, or pits and fissures, of the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

Special appliances or tools may be used to supplement toothbrushing and interdental cleaning. These include special toothpicks, oral irrigators, and other devices.

Scrubbing:  

 Teeth can be cleaned by scrubbing with a twig instead of a toothbrush. Plant sap in the twig takes the place of toothpaste.Teeth can be cleaned by scrubbing with a twig instead of a toothbrush. Plant sap in the twig takes the place of toothpaste.[citation needed] In many parts of the world teeth cleaning twigs are used. In the Muslim world the miswak or siwak is made from twigs or roots that are said to have an antiseptic effect when used for cleaning teeth.

Complications  :

Overly vigorous or incorrectly performed brushing or flossing may cause injury to the gingiva (gums). Improper or over-vigorous brushing may cause sore gums, damage to tooth enamel, gingivitis, and bleeding gums. Dentists and dental hygienists can instruct and demonstrate proper brushing or flossing techniques.

NURSING-BOTTLE SYNDROME

  WHAT IS  BABY-BOTTLE TOOTH-DECAY?

Also called as EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES(ECC), NURSING CARIES and NURSING-BOTTLE SYNDROME.

Occurs when babies are in frequent contact with sugars from liquid carbohydrates such as  fruit juice, milk ,sweet drinks or sugar water.

Human breast can cause tooth decay as well.

Liquids break ->down into mouth -> simple sugars->allowed to sit in mouth-> bacteria growth , causes tooth decay

How to prevent

11)      During he day,to calm or comfort your baby, don’t give a bottle filled with sugary liquids or milk, instead give plain water.

22)      At any time, don’t dip your baby pacifier in sugar honey or sugary liquids.

33)      At bed time, don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle filled with sugary liquid ( watered-down fruit juice or milk sill increase the risk of decay).Give plain water.

44)      Don’t allow your baby to feed/ nurse conti nuously throughout the night while sleeping since,human breast milk can cause decay.Use a pacifier or give a bottle filled with plain water instead.

55)      Don’t add sugar to your child’s food.

66)      Use a wet gauze or cloth to wipe your child’s teeth or gums after each feeding this also helps in preventing tooth decay.

77)      Ask the dentist about your child’s fluoride needs. Fluoride treatment or supplements are to be given if your drinking water is not fluoridated.

88)      Teach your baby to drink from a cup by his or her 1^st birthday use “ SIPPING CUP” but excess use of this can also cause tooth decay unless it is filled with plain water.

TEETHING

                                                   

Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth (the deciduous teeth, often called "baby teeth" or "milk teeth") sequentially appear by emerging through the gums.
 Teething may start as early as three months or as late as twelve months.
The first teeth typically appear between six and nine months. It can take several years for all 20 teeth to complete the tooth eruption; they typically arrive in pairs.
 Though the process of teething is sometimes referred to as "cutting teeth", when teeth emerge through the gums they do not cut through the flesh.
. Instead, special chemicals are released within the body that cause some cells in the gums to die and separate, allowing the teeth to come through. Teething may cause a slightly elevated temperature, but not rising into the febrile range, 100–101 °F (37.8–38.3 °C). Higher temperatures during teething are due to some form of infection, such as a herpes virus, initial infection of which is extremely widespread among children of teething age.

History :
Teething used to be considered (wrongly) a cause of death, as many children died in the first years of life, at the same time as teething occurs.
Ironically, while teething is a natural process which creates little more than discomfort, some methods for relieving teething pain have caused serious harm and even death.
Sequence of appearance
:
The infant teeth tend to emerge in pairs - first one lower incisor emerges then the other lower incisor emerges before the next set begin to emerge. The general pattern of emergence is:

   1. Lower central incisors (2) at approximately 6 months
   2. Upper central incisors (2) at approximately 8 months
   3. Upper lateral incisors (2) at approximately 10 months
   4. Lower lateral incisors (2) at approximately 10 months
   5. First molars (4) at approximately 14 months
   6. Canines (4) at approximately 18 months
   7. Second molars (4) at approximately 2–3 years
Milk teeth tend to emerge sooner in females than in males.
The soreness and swelling of the gums before a tooth comes through is the cause for the pain.

COMMON SYMPTOMS :-  include drooling or dribbling, mood changes, irritability or crankiness, and swollen gums. Crying, sleeplessness, restless sleep at night, and mild fever are also associated with teething.
 Teething can begin as early as 3 months and continue until a child's third birthday.
 Pain is often associated more with large molars since they cannot penetrate through the gums as easily as the other teeth.
Some noticeable symptoms that a baby has entered the teething stage include chewing on their fingers or toys to help relieve pressure on their gums. Babies might also refuse to eat or drink due to the pain.
Pulling on the ears is another sign of pain; the pain in the mouth throbs throughout the baby's head so they pull their ears believing that it will provide relief. Mild rash can develop around the mouth due to skin irritation that is caused by excessive drooling or dribbling.
TREATMENT  :-
 Rubbing a finger gently along the gums in search for swollen ridges or the feel of a tooth below the gums is one way to be certain.
A teething ring is generally a soft plastic device that can be chewed on and allows the baby to break down some of the gum tissue which promotes the growth of the teeth out of the gum.
 Placing a wet washcloth in the freezer for a few minutes and then applying it gently to the gums can be effective.
Teething rings and other toys, called teethers, are often designed with textures that will appeal to an infant during teething.
Drawing water into a pacifier and freezing it as another way to offer a teething child relief.
Some children respond well to chilled foods.
 chilled foods :-  
 applesauce, yogurt, and pureed fruits.
Dentists may recommend against the use of fluoride toothpaste during teething.
MEDICATION:-
 Infant - obvious pain  :- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or child-safe pain-relief treatments containing benzocaine, lidocaine, or choline salicylate is recommended.
 applying a gel of 20% benzocaine in polyethylene glycol may be given.
Medicines are often applied to the babies' gums to relieve swelling and pain.
 Teething gels work as a numbing agent to dull the nerves in the gums so that the pain is less noticeable.

SCALING ( CLEANING OF TEETH ) :

 Hey guys,I m back with the  yet another topic about cleaning of the teeth . As cleaning of teeth is more important as i told u all in previous article
oral  health= overall health.
So, as to maintain oral health scaling is the most important part of the life , to maintain teeth health is like as we service our vehicles in our daily live ,Scaling is the same procedure of maintaing teeth  health and to maintain it , scaling or cleaning the teeth should be done in every six months a year with the help of scaling our oral hygiene is maintained as we know we clean our  teeth regularly twice in a day but there are some persons who didnt clean there teeth twice. May i know why ?
 I know some persons says  dats its fine ....but its not becoz those persons who are doing brush once a day do they eat their food or anything just once in a day  and the answer is no. So why do we need to neglect our oral health becoz most of the disesases occurs  from mouth so maintaing oral health is a must. there are four steps in maintaining oral health :
    1. Brushing the teeth regularly twice in a day.
    2. Use of mouthwash  like chlorhexidine, listerine  after brushing.
    3. Use of floss for removing the food particles from teeth and within adjoining structures.              
     4. And last but not the least, undergoing a process of scaling every six months in a year.
by foloowing all these procedures i am sure every person will owe a good oral health.

SCALING  ( CLEANING OF TEETH ) :

Scaling and root planing, otherwise known as conventional periodontal therapy, non-surgical periodontal therapy, or deep cleaning, is the process of removing or eliminating the etiologic agents – dental plaque, its products, and calculus – which cause inflammation, thus helping to establish a periodontium that is free of disease.

PLAQUE:
Plaque is a structured resilient yellow-grayish substance that adheres tenaciously to the tooth surfaces including removable and fixed restorations.
 It is an organised bio-film that contains primarily bacteria in a matrix of glycoproteins and extracellular polysaccharides.
 Materia alba is similar to plaque but it lacks the organized structure of plaque and hence easily displaced with rinses and sprays. When this plaque gets mineralized it forms into calculus. Calculus is thus the hard deposit formed by mineralization usually covered by a layer of unmineralized plaque.
Periodontal scaling procedures "include the removal of plaque, calculus and stain from the crown and root surfaces of teeth. Root planing is a specialized skill involving scaling of the root of the tooth, made up of cementum.
 Because cementum is softer than enamel, it is affected more by ongoing build-up and inflammatory byproducts.
 A smooth cementum provides less opportunity for bacteria to accumulate and form calculus. So root planing is an important part of stopping the progression of periodontal disease, especially once deeper pockets have formed in the gums, which is really in the bone. Thus root planing is a specific treatment that removes the roughened cementum and surface dentin that is impregnated with calculus, microorganisms and their toxins.
The objective for periodontal scaling and root planing is to remove etiologic agents which can cause inflammation to the gum tissue and surrounding bone. Common etiologic agents removed by periodontal therapy include dental plaque and tartar (calculus). Scaling and root planing is one of the most effective periodontal methods of treating gum disease before it becomes severe.
Because in periodontal disease pockets form that are deeper than the usual gingival depth, such scaling and root planing are often referred to as deep cleaning, and may be performed using a number of dental tools, including ultrasonic instruments and hand instruments, such as periodontal scalers and curettes.
Removal of adherent plaque and calculus with hand instruments can also be performed prophylactically on patients without periodontal disease. A prophylaxis refers to scaling and polishing of the teeth in order to prevent oral diseases. Polishing does not remove calculus, but only some plaque and stains, and should therefore only be done in conjunction with scaling.
Often, a device may be electric, known as an ultrasonic or sonic scaler.
EFFECTIVENESS :
Scaling and root planing is considered the basic treatment of periodontal diseases and may be the only treatment required to treat mild cases of periodontitis

.

Ultrasonic scalers vibrate at a frequency that breaks down bacterial cell membranes and removes both plaque and calculus. Hand instruments are used to complete the fine hand scaling that removes anything the ultrasonic scaler left behind.

and thanks for reading..take care