Plaque and tartar removal

Dental plaque and tartar (calculus) are the main enemies of teeth and gums! Plaque is a soft, sticky substance that accumulates on the teeth and forms from food particles suspended in saliva. When plaque hardens, it becomes tartar. It is a mixture of minerals in the saliva, food particles, and dead plaque bacterial cells.

Whereas we can remove plaque by daily brushing and flossing, tartar accumulates in the absence of proper oral care. Once it has formed only a dental cleaning by a dentist or hygienist can remove it. If tartar remains on the teeth long enough, it can irritate the gums. The gums can swell, bleed and weaken to the point that they begin to "pull away" from the teeth, eventually leading to pocket formation between the teeth and gums. Tartar must be removed before it can further damage periodontal or gum tissue, and possibly the bone supporting the teeth and gums as well (periodontitis). Periodontal disease is present when there is a loss of attachment between the gums and the teeth and a loss of bone, which supports the teeth. These teeth may become loose and may eventually have to be removed.

During one visit to us that can last even up to 1,5 hours we remove plaque and tartar from your teeth by: - Scaling i.e. deep cleaning of your tooth, using hand-held instruments called scalers

and curettes, above and below the gum line to remove plaque and calculus.
Or
- Debridement-removal of plaque and calculus by a combination of hand-held instruments and an ultrasonic device that uses water and high-frequency vibrations to loosen plaque and tartar from the teeth.

At the end of the procedure the surface of your teeth will be polished with rubber attachments and polishing paste so that they become perfectly smooth. Also special preparations containing fluoride will be rubbed on them to make them more resistant to decay.

"Sealing" teeth

"Sealing" the teeth is a procedure that prevents the development of tooth decay. It is recommended for children and teenagers but older people may also benefit from the use of tooth sealant. More and more adult patients with healthy teeth undergo the procedure as a preventive measure for the future. Dental sealant "seals" the pits and fissures of the back teeth to shield these areas from bacteria that feed on sugar and produce acid that demineralises tooth enamel.
"Sealing" teeth is a fairly simple procedure. The dentist requires only a few minutes per tooth. He or she cleans the teeth about to be sealed then roughens the chewing surface with an acid solution. This solution helps the sealant stick to the tooth. Next, the dentist dries the tooth. Finally, he "paints" the sealant onto the tooth enamel. The sealant bonds to the tooth and hardens. A curing light is used to speed up the hardening process.

We check the sealant every six months!