As you go throughout your day, plaque—a sticky bacterial film—accumulates in your mouth and coats your teeth and gums. If plaque is allowed to sit on your smile, it will erode your dental enamel and weaken gum tissue. Plaque is responsible for cavities, periodontal disease, and persistent bad breath.
As a patient, you want to do everything possible to limit the amount of plaque that is allowed to build up on your smile. Our O’Fallon dentists are here to help you with that goal!
The first thing to understand is that there’s nothing that we can do to completely prevent plaque from developing—it’s simply a byproduct of living. The goal, therefore, becomes to take steps to minimize the amount of plaque that is able to accumulate.
In order to do this…
- Brush your teeth as recommended by your dentist—for most people this means brushing once in the morning and once at night before bed
- Floss daily—ideally once before brushing at night
- Keep up with your schedule of semi-annual professional cleanings—every six months, allow your dentist to complete a thorough professional cleaning, in order to give your smile a fresh slate for you to maintain
There are some simple things that you can do throughout the day to help keep your smile healthy as well. Minimize the amount of sweets and refined carbohydrates that you consume, because oral bacteria love to feed on these things. Also, drink plenty of water throughout the day so that your body is able to produce saliva, which naturally helps to neutralize bacteria and re-mineralize dental enamel.
Even if it has been years since you’ve kept up with dental care, our O’Fallon dentists are here to help you get back on track. Call our office to learn more!