A Parent’s Guide to Emergency Dental Care

Posted on: 17 October 2017

If you're like many people, you have probably been told that it is important to keep your teeth clean. However, you may not know why having a clean mouth is important.

Here are a few ways to maintain clean teeth and why each manner of cleaning the teeth is important:

Brushing

To maintain clean teeth, it is important for you to brush twice a day for at least two minutes per session. Brushing helps dislodge plaque, bits of food and bacteria that may be stuck to the teeth. As these substances are removed, the teeth are less apt to suffer from decay.

The bacteria in the mouth release acid that eats away at the tooth enamel. The acid is emitted as a byproduct of the bacterial metabolic process. As a result, the more that the bacteria feed, the greater the amount of acid that is released.

Plaque, which contains bits of food and oral bacteria, is particularly harmful because due to the biofilm that it contains, it sticks to the teeth. Thus, as the bacteria in the plaque release acid, the acid is in direct contact with the teeth.

Flossing

Although brushing is effective, it only affects the surfaces of the teeth that can be accessed by the toothbrush. Areas between the teeth may remain coated with plaque even after the teeth have been thoroughly brushed. Flossing is necessary to remove damaging material from between the teeth.

String floss can be navigated into the interdental spaces to thoroughly clean areas of the teeth that cannot be reached by a toothbrush. If string floss is not preferred, a water flosser can be used. The device uses a stream of water to force debris from between the teeth.

Professional Cleaning

Tartar is calcified plaque. The plaque hardens if it is left undisturbed for about a day. Although cleaning your teeth at home is important, your cleaning efforts do not remove tartar. 

Tartar has a porous structure and readily traps additional plaque and oral bacteria. As the amount of tartar on the teeth increases, the teeth become increasingly difficult to keep clean.

In order to remove tartar, a special dental scaling tool is used. The dentist uses the tool to scrape away accumulated tartar during a professional cleaning. 

Professional teeth cleaning should be performed at least once every six months. The frequency of the cleanings helps discourage the build-up of large amounts of tartar.

To learn more about cleaning the teeth and why it is necessary, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your local area.