By Albina Shehu/ Over the years, there has been a myth among patients that cleaning tartar damages the teeth and that it should not be done often.
How does the truth stand?
This myth is not true and has emerged for the sole reason that during the cleaning of stones the patient has sensitivity and may bleed during the process.
But what are stones and how are they formed?
The mouth is an environment that needs constant hygiene, if the teeth are not brushed within 12-24h, bacterial plaque is formed, which consists of food residues, saliva minerals and bacterial waste. The formation of bacterial plaque is something normal in a cavity like the mouth, and if the teeth are brushed in the morning and at dinner, it is easily removed with a brush and toothpaste, but if the teeth are not brushed, this bacterial plaque from a layer of porridge on the necks of the teeth starts calcified. The more time passes, the more layers overlap.
How harmful are calculus to the teeth and surrounding tissues?
It depends on the time of their stay in the mouth. The presence of calculus in the necks of the teeth inflames, therefore irritates, reddens and swells the gums, giving us their bleeding, but also a bad smell. We dentists recommend that tartar be cleaned every 6 months, but in some people, such as smokers, those who drink a lot of coffee or are negligent with oral hygiene, the tartar needs to be cleaned 2-3 times a year.
If the calculus is not cleaned and remains for a long time in the necks of the teeth then the inflammation will move to the tissues below the gingiva, which is the periodontal tissue that holds the tooth on the bone as well as on the bone. In these cases, we see patients with bare roots, teeth that have increased mobility and bad breath.
In all cases that the gingiva exposes the roots of the teeth, its return to the previous level is no longer possible.
For the best hygiene and tartar-free teeth, we recommend brushing your teeth 2-3 times a day, using dental floss, using a soft brush and brushing for 3 minutes in total. Drinking water during the day helps a lot in preventing them from forming, a mouth with an acidic pH creates more stones and water neutralizes them. Acid pH is created after eating meals, after drinking coffee or smoking, and especially sweets.