What Bad Habits to AVOID to Prevent Plaque and Tartar Buildup

Plaque: An ornamental plate or tablet used to mark a significant event, person, etc. Dental plaque, however, is nowhere near as positive an acquisition as an engraved award or shiny metal…

Dental plaque is a sticky mix of bacteria and the acids that bacteria secrete. It makes its home on your teeth in the form of a gluey biofilm, and while it can be easily wiped off with a toothbrush or washcloth, if left for more than 26 hours, it WILL harden into a substance called tartar. And while plaque is dangerous for your teeth, tartar is lethal.

Dental cleanings are the only way to remove tartar, but they aren’t the only way to prevent it. Below is a list of habits to AVOID if you want to stave off tartar build up and keep your smile strong, healthy and beautiful:

1.    Skipping brushing—even if just every once in a while. It only takes 26 hours for plaque to harden into tartar. Say it’s Friday…If you brush your teeth at 6 am, and then forget to brush them that night, and don’t wake up until 9 am because it’s Saturday, you’ve just given that plaque plenty of time to become something more dangerous.

2.    Not Flossing. We dentists don’t stress the importance of flossing for no reason. Floss can reach the spaces between your teeth—and the food that gets stuck there—that toothbrushes can’t. By flossing once a day, you’re eliminating any chance of tartar forming between your teeth.

For four more habits to avoid in order to prevent plaque and tartar build up, visit:http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-10/plaque-causes?page=2.