Oral health is an essential step within your daily routine. With strong oral health brings confidence in your smile and a transformation of your life, all through white shiny teeth. A contagious smile has proven to improve general health and wellbeing. If you have nice teeth, you will be happier. This should be a good enough reason to maintain a positive oral routine to protect your teeth.
Although, it is important to highlight the dangers of not maintaining a positive oral routine, and one of them is a build-up of plaque.
What Is Plaque?
Plaque is a sticky substance that forms on teeth when bacteria interacts with food debris. It can be felt on your teeth and, if kept on your teeth for a long period, it hardens to become tartar which can be difficult to remove with a toothbrush. Plaque is also linked to producing acids that attack your tooth enamel.
Plaque can become dangerous to your oral health if your oral routine slips or if you eat food and drink that feeds bacteria.
If your oral routine has slipped, your mouth could become exposed to the following dangers:
Cavities
When the plaque eats away at your enamel, this opens up the chance of a cavity forming. A cavity forms when an opening or a hole develops in the centre of the tooth. This is developed from bacteria. If you regularly eat sugar and do not brush your teeth well, bacteria begin to build in your mouth to cause the cavity, and you’ll require a dental filling to cover it.
Tooth Decay
The build-up of bacteria can turn into acid which weakens your tooth enamel. Along with small holes being created in the teeth, if a cavity remains untreated, the tooth may become severely damaged and will require cosmetic treatment to protect what’s left of it, such as a dental crown or a root canal.
Gum Disease
When plaque build-up gets worse, not only will you experience an acid attack, your gums also become inflamed. This is known as gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease which can turn into periodontitis, which is even worse. Gum disease has been linked to other overall health problems and is also a major culprit for tooth loss.
Tooth Loss
Plaque is the first sign that your oral routine isn’t strong enough to keep your teeth healthy. As plaque, tartar, bacteria and acid builds, you’re incurring severe damage to your teeth which may result in losing the tooth completely. If you lose a tooth, you will need to either fork out for expensive cosmetic treatment to fill the gap, or experience other symptoms such as bleeding gums, bone de-stimulation and receding gums.
Plaque is the first sign of an attack on your oral health. The best way to combat plaque build-up is a positive oral routine and regularly visit the dentist for a check-up. Read here to adopt a positive oral routine to keep plaque away from your teeth.
If you need a dental check-up, contact us at Ashfield Family Dental and we’d gladly restore the confidence in your smile today.
