What is Dental Plaque?

By: Smileway Dental

Have you ever noticed that after a dental cleaning your teeth look sparkly and white, but over time they appear more dull and yellow? That yellowish color comes from plaque. Plaque accumulates on your teeth both above and below your gum line. 

Plaque requires food debris, bacteria, tooth surface and time to form. Plaque will eventually be hardened and form tartar. 

Even if you take great care of your teeth at home, you still have bacteria in your mouth. They mix with food by products to form a sticky film called dental plaque. It coats your teeth, gets under your gum line, and sticks to fillings, crowns, bridges and implants. Plaque contains bacteria that can lead to teeth cavities. Plaque can be removed by tooth brushing and flossing.

Tartar, also called calculus, is hardened dental plaque from calcium in saliva. It cannot be removed by regular tooth brushing and flossing. Professional dental scaling is needed to remove it. Otherwise, gum disease and teeth cavities can occur.

6 Tips to Control Plaque Build up

  1. Brush regularly, twice a day for 2 minutes a time. 
  2. Studies have found that electronic, or powered, toothbrushes may get rid of plaque better than manual models.  
  3. Choose fluoride toothpaste. 
  1. Floss, floss, floss. No matter how good you are with a toothbrush, dental floss is the only way to remove plaque between your teeth and keep tartar out of these hard-to-reach areas.
  1. Rinse daily. Use an antiseptic mouthwash daily to help kill bacteria that cause plaque. This is optional after tooth brushing and flossing.
  1. Watch your diet. The bacteria in your mouth thrive on sugary and starchy foods. When they’re exposed to those foods, they release harmful acids. Try to eat a healthy diet and limit the amount of sugary foods you eat. That goes for snacks, too. Every time you eat, you also feed the bacteria in your mouth. You don’t have to give up sweets or between-meals munches. Just be mindful about how often you indulge. Rinse and brush 30 minutes after meals.

Want to know more about your teeth, feel free to visit us at Smileway Dental Clinic Setapak and USJ. Here we provide dental treatment in a comfortable way because we create smiles that matters.

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Ong sook yan
Ong sook yan
2023-07-14
Always my trusted place for dental treatment, great staff and doctor
Chuan Jin
Chuan Jin
2023-07-14
Good service and friendly dental
Wei Leng Chew
Wei Leng Chew
2023-07-13
Dr. Edwin & his staff are very friiendly & helpful. The overall environment is clean & comfortable.
Jin J
Jin J
2023-07-13
Friendly staffs. and helpful doctor. Went for scaling and polishing. Done by Dr. Lisa. Thank you.
Julian Leong
Julian Leong
2023-07-13
all Dr and nurses is very friendly and nice, environment is very nice will introduce friends to come ☺️
ming
ming
2023-07-12
Great service and nice environment 👍
MAS ABDUL RAHMAN
MAS ABDUL RAHMAN
2023-07-12
Very satisfied with the service. Polite & gentle dr Edwin and courteous staff. Friendly environment.
Clare Felicity Chan
Clare Felicity Chan
2023-07-12
Dr Jon Low is v professional n experienced in his field. Receptionist n nurses are friendly. Only reservation are the flight of staircase to climb for elderly n physically challenged clients.
Nor Hafiza
Nor Hafiza
2023-07-11
The best dental clinic at USJ.. Friendly and beautiful nurses. Will go again..
Kian Hong Ong
Kian Hong Ong
2023-07-11
Staff and Dr are good and friendly, been treatment here with Dr Lisa here , very recommended 👍👍👍 Dr Lisa do very soft and good

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