Essential Tips to Remove Dental Plaque for Children and Adults

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Plaque removal is highly significant in preventing dental caries and periodontal diseases. But what is a dental plaque? It is a bacterial film that adheres to the tooth surface or denture formed after few hours of brushing, resulting in the development of tooth decay and periodontal disease.

By removing plaque, we can stop dental caries as well as periodontal diseases. Plaque can be removed from the tooth surface by both mechanical and chemical means. Mechanical plaque control can be done using tooth brush and inter-dental cleaning equipments while Dental scaling and polishing can also remove dental plaque.

Chemical method of plaque removing can be done using anti plague agents and antimicrobial agents, these agents eliminate the bacterial plague by their antimicrobial efficiency. Anti plague agents are in the form of liquids and paste, when applied on the tooth they remove plaque.

Tips for Cleaning Teeth

There are few tips for cleaning your teeth like brushing twice: once in the morning and once before going to bed is enough to prevent plaque retention. Use a soft bristle tooth brush and fluoride tooth taste to brush your teeth. Fluoride containing tooth paste prevents dental caries formation in areas where the tooth brush can’t reach.

The amount of plaque removed from the tooth doesn’t depend on which tooth paste used but it depends on the brushing technique. Brush all surfaces of your teeth properly, clean inside and outside surfaces thoroughly and finally the chewing surfaces. Take at least 5 to 10 mints to brush your teeth and change your tooth brush after every 3 to 6 months as using it for a long time reduces the cleaning efficiency.

Cleaning Teeth and Children

Unfortunately, cleaning teeth can be a battle when it comes to dealing with Toddlers. Children consume lot of candies and require maintaining good hygiene when compared to adults. We can make brushing an exciting activity for kids by letting them shop for their own brush and tooth paste. There are a wide range of children’s tooth brushes available, including ones based on cartoon characters and others which change color.

Use toothpaste suitable for small children and try different flavors. For example many children dislike peppermint or any strong flavors. Create a game out of it like pretend their mouth is a tunnel and the brush is a train, or sing a funny song. Reward them after they brush their teeth, later it automatically becomes a habit.

However tired your child is at night, it is important that they clean their teeth before going to bed. Saliva normally protects the teeth but its production drops at night. So it is particularly important to clean teeth well after the last food or drink of the day.

Start cleaning the baby’s teeth as soon as they appear in the mouth. Clean baby’s teeth with a damp clean cloth and wipe on the tooth surface. Those children who drink bottle milk have more chances of dental caries, so their teeth should be cleaned before going to bed. Do not use toothpaste before 18 months of age. Parents need to supervise the use of toothpaste and tooth brushing by their young children.

Children need to be assisted while brushing until they are 8 to 9 years old. When children start using toothpaste, it’s better to use fluoride tooth paste which prevents dental caries. Only a smear of toothpaste (the size of a pea or less) should be put onto the toothbrush. The child should be assisted with the tooth paste otherwise they may swallow it. Keep toothpaste tubes out of the reach of children.

In order to stop plaque from forming between teeth, you should floss your teeth daily. If you apply some toothpaste on the dental floss, it will produce excellent results. Waxed dental floss is better as it prevents injuries to the gums which cause bleeding.

Good oral hygiene is a responsible for overall health of your and your child’ body!