Dental tartar, which can also be called calculus or dental tartar, develops through the calcification of bacterial plaque on the teeth and our oral tissues. What does this have to do with our health and how teeth develop? We’ll find out in a second.
Bacterial broths, which we can also call oral biofilm, is a kind of coating that has a transparent appearance and is stored to form a very thin layer on the tooth coating for bacteria to be stored.
It is in our mouth from a very early age and in fact we cannot prevent it from developing as it has to do with every time we ingest any food or thick liquid. To reduce its amount, dentists emphasize dental cleaning and its importance to keep our teeth free of diseases.
If we do not maintain proper dental hygiene, our teeth will accumulate plaque and over time we will have a layer of unpleasant tartar that can affect our aesthetic view and even weaken our teeth.
And believe me, when it is already on the teeth it is quite difficult to remove and its yellowish color and even brown in more extreme cases, is totally visible to people when we speak. And it even changes the physical structure, as our teeth become more tender and not smooth.
There are different levels and colors of tartar, it all depends on your type of tooth and how this dental layer has developed. Among the types we can find:
We speak of this type of tartar when we refer to that small yellow layer that covers the corners of the teeth.
Contrary to its brother, this type of calculus is at the beginning of the gums that can even develop periodontal pockets.
Although it is not visible to the naked eye, this type of tartar carries the risk of seriously damaging our teeth. Therefore it should be treated by a specialist immediately.
If we can emphasize something, it is that dental tartar has a key detrimental point for our general aesthetics. Since our teeth will stop being white and will give way to a yellowish or brownish tone. We mention this inconvenience only superficially, since it really brings many more problems. Among them we can observe:
These types of diseases are the product of bacterial broths stored in our mouth, mainly in the corners of our gums, which will give way to the very fearsome periodontal bacteria. This type of bacteria and its product can be divided into the diseases “Gingivitis” and “Periodontitis”.
Gingivitis is as to say the first phase of this disease, which brings with it a direct affection to the soft tissues of our gums. Therefore it directly inflames and causes uncontrolled pain. Although this stage of the disease can be reversed through early diagnosis and constant hygiene.
But unlike gingivitis, periodontitis cannot be cured through good hygiene. This is the last stage of the disease, which brings great problems to our daily health. In addition to inflammation and painful sores, it can cause the gum to lose strength and the tooth to fall out. For this reason it must be intervened immediately to remove the dead tissues and make an extensive cleaning.
Another problem that can be seen with the naked eye is dental caries. This is an infection that eats away the dental enamel of our teeth, and also derives from an excessive bacterial flora. Of course, this has different types of development and goes from severe to worse.
The onset of caries goes only through the tooth enamel, but if it is not treated immediately it can even affect the soft tissues of the gum, causing the loss of the tooth in its entirety.
It is one of the most common symptoms of tartar, and in fact it can develop through multiple factors that not only have to do with it. Halitosis is a common problem but it triggers other types of problems. For example, it can be a clear sign of periodontitis or that you are not following your dental hygiene to the letter.
Unfortunately, the only thing that can be eliminated with constant brushing is bacterial plaque, but not tartar. To remove it we will need some of the following treatments that we will discuss below, which by the way, are all available in our dental clinic:
As we mentioned before, even if our dental hygiene is excellent, there may still be debris between the teeth that we cannot reach with our toothbrush. For this reason, tartar may also develop little by little on top of our teeth.
This treatment is like a deeper brushing for our teeth, which will remove any bacteria residing between the small dental cavities.
Its professional procedure consists of:
Mainly, it uses the ultrasound tip so that the calculus can be removed with ease. From this, the vibration emission and the pressurized water that we will apply will make the accumulated tartar to give way and remove it from the main layer of dental enamel.
After finishing this first step, the dentist will use a kind of professional dental floss that will be in charge of “filing” the roughness of the teeth, to ensure that the cleaning is complete. Finally, we will apply a prophylaxis paste that will eliminate any damage left on the enamel. And that’s it!
The best thing about this treatment is that it is not painful. Although after the procedure you may notice an increase in the patient’s dental sensitivity. But this depends a lot on each type of person and the severity of the cleaning.
In case this treatment is not enough to give health to our teeth, either by a periodontitis or other disease, a scaling or root planning should be carried out. Dental prophylaxis is not only for sick people, in fact, everyone should have this treatment at least once a year to ensure the total cleaning of our teeth.
We can also know it by the name of dental curettage, and it is mostly applied to people who present advanced periodontitis. The objective of this process is the debridement of everything that can affect or create periodontitis, such as the accumulation of bacteria that is in the line that joins the gum with the tooth.
Like the previous process, you will need to apply a thorough cleaning and add manual tools that are called “Curette”. These will be in charge of sanitizing the soft tissues under the gums. It is necessary to apply local anesthesia to the patient as the process can be a bit uncomfortable for a fully conscious person.
As we have already mentioned a thousand times, the basis to avoid any oral disease is to maintain proper dental hygiene. Our dentists will always explain the same thing, but in case you need it once again, here we bring you a small guide:
When it comes to brushing our teeth, we will need to do it for approximately two consecutive minutes. This is after ingesting any food to make sure it doesn’t break down in your mouth. Use soft bristles to avoid damaging your gums.
Brush your teeth in the correct way, it can be from top to bottom and sideways to make sure there is no remaining residue. And after you have finished, it is important to add dental floss to complement the cleaning. Remember to also clean the tongue thoroughly.
Remember to consistently attend your regular check-ups with your trusted dentist to make sure everything is under control. It is better to go and have no diseases than to wait until the last minute and have to spend a million dollars on tedious procedures that will prevent you from eating your favorite foods or smiling easily. Remember, halitosis, constant bleeding and even a simple sore gum can be the cause of a major disease.
If you need to clear your mind of any doubt or maybe you need a deep cleaning to remove oral tartar. Don’t forget that our doors will always be open for you and your family. Visit us and get the best prices on dental cleaning, curettage and even orthodontics.
We are located in Tirana, Albania and our name is City Dental Clinic. We assure you that you won’t need more than one visit to get the best prices on dental cleanings, scaling and even orthodontics.
