Check-ups and hygiene with the dentist in Mackay
Run your tongue over your teeth? Do they feel smooth and glassy like a mirror, or can you feel little ridges and layers of something? That’s plaque and plaque is the mortal enemy of your teeth. Plaque is the reason why you need regular check-ups with the dentist in Mackay, and also why you need to back up your teeth cleaning with deep cleaning sessions with the hygienist here at Walkerston Dental in Walkerston.
What is plaque?
Plaque is the common name for a particular bacterium that lives in your mouth. Its scientific name is Streptococcus mutans. It has 2 characteristics that make it such a problem. Firstly, it feeds off sugars in your saliva and when it does so, it gives off acids as a by-product. Secondly, it avoids being swallowed in your saliva by gluing itself onto the surfaces in your mouth: your teeth, gums and cheek linings. It reproduces more quickly each time you eat something sugary, which is why it can seem to appear like magic after you’ve been eating ice cream or drinking fizzy drinks at the beach.
You can brush it away. In fact, getting rid of plaque is why we brush our teeth. But because plaque hides away in crevices, brushing never entirely gets rid of it. If it is left undisturbed, after 3 days, that layer of plaque hardens into a rock-like substance, called calculus. But the active layer next to thee teeth and gums continues to give off acids. Like all acids, they’re corrosive, making holes in your tooth enamel and inflaming your gums.
Check-ups
Your 6-monthly check-up gives your dentist in Mackay a chance to spot the early signs of dental decay and gum disease, caused by plaque. The first signs of decay are whiter patches on your tooth enamel, and then tiny holes through it. We can treat them easily with little fillings.
The hygienist is on the look-out for early signs of gum disease: red, inflamed gums and pockets developing between the gums and teeth. These are easily treated by upping your oral hygiene game.
However, leave either problem untreated and the ultimate result is tooth loss. Don’t let it come to this. Visit us every 6 months.
