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After ingesting any food, a layer of white smear is formed throughout the mouth, which accumulates in all the corners. This white smear is principally made up of miniscule remains of food and bacteria, and is called bacterial plaque. This bacterial plaque is easy to eliminate with a toothbrush. However, in the difficult to reach corners of the mouth, which we cannot adequately reach with a brush, the bacterial plaque remains accumulated. These corners tend to be:
- Molar fissures, the space between molars and around the edges of a poorly adjusted prosthesis (spots where caries most frequently tend to settle). And
- The small space which exists between the gum and the teeth (gingival furrow)
Gums are not attached to the most external part of the tooth, and this little corner is a privileged spot for the settling of bacteria from the mouth. If we do not manage to correctly eliminate these accumulated remains under the gums after each ingestion, the bacterial plaque starts to calcify and turns into tartar. Tartar is the same in composition to the bacteria, but by hardening and adhering to the surface of the teeth now it CANNOT be eliminated with a toothbrush and must be treated in the clinic by a professional.
It is essential not to neglect care of the gums, as both bacterial plaque and tartar can provoke inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) which manifests as a slight reddening, some sensitivity and particularly bleeding when brushing teeth. And worse still, if we dont treat gingivitis in time, the bacterial irritation can reach through to the bone that holds the teeth in place. In the face of this attack, the bone responds by fleeing, ie, destroying part of the dental support. This destruction of the alveolar bone originating from this cause is almost always irreversible. So, each portion of support bone that is destroyed as a consequence of the accumulation of bacterial plaque and tartar is lost forever.
In addition, with the destruction of part of the support bone there is a deeper corner under the gums. This is called the periodontal bag, where more remains will accumulate, which will be difficult to eliminate with brushing and which will provoke more inflammation and destruction thereby acting as a vicious circle.
Well performed personal maintenance based on brushing after meals and disinfecting mouthwashes enable us to avoid the appearance of gum diseases. However, given that to carry out perfect maintenance after each meal is very difficult in the society we live in today, it must be done as well as possible and must be complemented with periodic revisions every 6 months at your dental clinic in order to check the general state of the gums and teeth. In the event of detecting a problem, it will always be much easier to solve and have a better prognosis the earlier it can be diagnosed and treated.
Many people have understood that acquiring the habit of good oral maintenance, together with periodic revisions, is the best system to preserve your teeth, easily, throughout your whole life.
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Clínica Muntaner
