Your pediatric dentist can clear the air when it comes to plaque and tartar. As a responsible parent, you should ask your child’s dentist about the most common dental problems — plaque and tartar. Dental health starts in early childhood. It is always prudent to do what you can to prevent these substances from taking over your child’s mouth. Here are the answers that a pediatric dentist can give about plaque and tartar.
Plaque is invisible to the untrained eye. It looks like thick and white deposits of food. Plaque is sticky and consists of countless bacteria. To a pediatric dentist, this is a substance that coats each tooth even at a young age. Children are more prone to plaque. Kids love to eat sources of carbohydrates like candies.
Each time children eat sugars, the food particles in the child’s mouth feed the bacteria in there. Bacteria reproduce and increase in number. This leads to plaque formation. Plaque coats the teeth as a collection of bacteria. It excretes acids, corroding the layers of the teeth. Plaque can cause a dark smudge along the gumline, gingivitis, and periodontitis.
Some know this as dental calculus. This is hardened plaque. Tartar can form along the gumline. It irritates the gum tissues. Tartar helps even more plaque to form by providing more surface area. It also gives plaque a stickier surface.
Tartar is easier to see than plaque. It is thicker and more distinct to detect above the gumline. The color is brown or yellow. A pediatric dentist will detect the tartar in the child’s teeth and remove it with a special tool.
This is possible through proper brushing using a tartar control toothpaste. Flossing is also helpful in reducing the buildup of plaque and tartar. Yet, once tartar has formed, only the pediatric dentist can remove it. The dentist will use a scaler to remove the tartar.
A pediatric dentist disagrees that a child can have a plaqueless set of teeth. Everyone has bacteria inside the mouth. These organisms always feed on the food particles inside the mouth. It is normal for kids or adults to have plaque. It is important to remove plaque daily through proper brushing and flossing.
Encouraging children to eat a balanced diet can help maintain dental health. A limit on starches and sugary foods can also help protect children from decay. It may be difficult at first, but it is possible. The pediatric dentist can help parents create a list of teeth-friendly foods for kids.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Pediatric Dentist in Allendale, NJ
Learning about plaque and tartar from your pediatric dentist can help you understand how to prevent them from building up. Early dental care at home affects your child’s oral health and general health. It goes to show that prompting your child to brush and floss daily has its rewards. A regular appointment with your pediatric dentist can help kickstart your child’s dental health practices.
Request an appointment or call Bergen County Pediatric Dentistry at 201-312-6937 for an appointment in our Allendale office.
Are you wondering whether your child's dental visit should include X-rays? Read on to find out. There is much more to your teeth than what you can see with the naked eye. During a dental visit, an X-ray is used to examine the areas of your teeth that cannot be seen, such as the spaces…
Dental anesthesia and dental sedation are both ways to minimize the pain and anxiety patients experience during a dental procedure, and they may be available for kids' dental procedures. However, it is important for parents to have an understanding of what they both are before deciding on anesthesia or sedation in pediatric dentistry.Your child’s pediatric…
Concerned about your child's pacifier use? Read on to find out why it is important to break that habit sooner rather than later. Breaking an ingrained habit in a child is a difficult task. As a kid grows older and their behavior persists, it becomes important to seek a professional for dental habit counseling. According…