Dental Care: Follow THESE tips and get rid of plaque and tartar at home
This is one of the most common nuisances which many faces after eating fibrous food like meat, corn and fruit peals, etc. When the bacteria in your mouth mixes with proteins and food byproducts, it forms a sticky film which is called Plaque. If not treated on time, this plaque hardens into tartar which results in many tooth related problems. Besides having a severe effect on your teeth it also looks very irritating. Thanks to this mechanism we are forced to keep our oral cavity clean.
How do we get rid of the same :
Brushing – one of the simplest answers to most of the dental hygiene issues is brushing. Brushing in the correct manner i.e. using the proper technique- vertical strokes from gums to teeth will help remove the extra particles stuck in and around the teeth. Specially designed interdental brushes can also be used if any stubborn particles are stuck in between the teeth. They have flexible bristles that can easily reach into the contact areas and fish out the stuck food particles rendering the area clean.
Cleaning your teeth with Baking soda – Cleaning your teeth with baking soda once or twice a week helps remove tartar from our teeth without any side effects to the enamel.
Dental Floss – I don’t recommend dental floss on a daily basis as the studies have shown that it creates a gap between the teeth after prolonged use. But once in a while just to remove extra particles stuck in between the teeth dental floss is a very good substitute to a toothpick.
Mouthwash- Mouthwash after every meal is a must in order to get rid of small unwanted particles deep inside your gums where your brush can’t reach. In order to get the most out of the mouthwash, you should rinse for 30 seconds before you spit out. That’s the minimum time required for the ingredients to work.
Mix aloe vera and glycerine – Aloe Vera and its benefits have been praised for decades, it does wonders on our plaque and tartar too. Mix it with glycerine and scrub it on your teeth to get a shiny set of pearls.
Rubbing the teeth with orange peel – You can rub the inside of the orange peel directly onto your teeth, this will help to fight tartar building microorganisms on the enamel. You can also mash the peel and apply it to the stained area. Leave it for some time and then rinse to see a remarkable difference.
Munching on sesame seeds – Pop a handful of sesame seeds into your mouth chew them but do not swallow them, brush on them directly they will act as a scrub and remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth.
Professional cleaning– No doubt all this can help but no substitute to the professional cleaning done at a dental office so visit your dentist for a good round of teeth cleaning.
By Dr. Tanvir Singh, B.D.S., M.D.S. (Ortho) and Director, Dentem.