Dental What?!?

You may be saying to yourself, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard of this plaque stuff before," but do you really know what your dentist is talking to you about?

Dental plaque is a natural build-up of an array of bacteria on the tooth surface. It is used to protect the host from other invasive organisms.

So if plaque is natural to your body and is a protecter, why is it such a big deal? As seen in the image, when plaque accumulates it forms a pale yellow, white color deposit on the tooth surface. It is easy to tell from the picture that plaque tends to build up in the hard to reach areas of the mouth. Without proper dental care, the plaque is allowed to accumulate and form larger deposits, which can become harmful to the host. A simple fix for this problem is more of a prevention; by exercising good dental hygiene of brushing and flossing on a regual, daily basis plaque is less prone to become harmful.

One my think that the only set back of extra plaque is the unattractive discoloring. This is far from true. Many different problems can arise from plaque, most namely dental calculus. Calulus, also known as tartar, is calcified plaque on the tooth surface composed of saliva, minerals, and debris. This is not as easy to remove as plaque. A professional dental care provider, either a dentist himself or a dental hygenist, must use special insturments to remove this mineralized layer. Continued cleaning with specialized toothpaste and diligent oral care is required of the host to prevent further formation of tartar.

Image provided by Dozenist licensed under Attribution ShareAlike version 2.5.