Calculus is bad for your teeth, and we’re not talking about math. Instead, this is another dental condition that you need to know about and have properly treated in our office because it will not resolve on its own.
What is Calculus?
Calculus is another term for tartar. Dental calculus is what forms from plaque, which is allowed to remain on your teeth and will harden into calculus. Plaque is easy to remove with a toothbrush, but when it hardens, that’s when you need to schedule an appointment with us.
What is Plaque?
Your mouth is filled with bacteria, most of which are beneficial and good for you. However, when you eat foods with starches and sugars, they will begin to interact with the beneficial bacteria in your mouth and cause a film to develop on your teeth.
This film is plaque.
Brushing your teeth will remove the plaque. If you don’t brush your teeth within 24 hours of eating, plaque will begin to form.
Once the plaque forms on the tooth, it poses the risk of hardening into what is known as tartar or calculus.
Over time, plaque turns into calculus and may move above the gum line. This is when the risk of calculus causing serious problems rises. Tartar above the gum line will irritate your gums and may even cause them to turn red or inflamed.
If left for long enough, your gums may recede, or you can develop progressive gum disease.
How Does Calculus Form?
Calculus forms within 2 - 3 days of plaque being on the surface of your teeth. The hardening creates a barrier for bacteria on your teeth to thrive. Over time, the bacteria will release acid, which slowly eats away at the tooth’s enamel and can lead to multiple side effects.
Side Effects of Dental Calculus
If you allow calculus to remain on your teeth, it can lead to:
Cavities
Brushing away tartar doesn’t work because a “shield” is formed on the tooth and prevents the toothbrush or floss from reaching the tooth’s enamel. Over time, the acid from the bacteria will begin damaging the teeth and can leave small holes behind, known as cavities.
Halitosis
Is your breath not as fresh as it once was? If not, you may be suffering from something known as halitosis.
Gingivitis
Red and inflamed gums are a sign that tartar may have made its way underneath your gums and is starting to irritate them. Unfortunately, the calculus will remain in place until a professional removes it, and your gums will not get used to it.
You may even experience some bleeding when you brush or floss your teeth.
If you allow gingivitis to remain untreated, it can cause periodontitis, which can loosen your teeth and cause tooth loss.
Receding Gums
Receding gums are considered a form of periodontal disease, and this is a result of the calculus hardening underneath the gums. The gums will continue to be irritated and inflamed, and over time, they will recede, causing more of your teeth to show.
If we catch your receding gums early on, they may begin to heal once we’ve removed the irritant from underneath your gums. However, you need to schedule an appointment for us to determine the cause of your receding gums first.
Tooth Loss
If you want to protect your smile, the last thing you want is to experience tooth loss. You won’t lose a tooth overnight from your calculus, but if peridontitis is allowed to persist, it can cause your teeth to loosen and may even cause them to fall out.
How We Treat a Calculus Bridge
Dental hygienists are trained and tasked with removing plaque and calculus from your teeth. These skilled professionals can even get the calculus that has formed under the gums and remove it to lower your risk of gum disease or irritation.
How?
Simple. Using special instruments called a dental scaler, they’ll gently scrape the teeth and remove the hardened calculus from beneath the gums and on the surface of the teeth. A professional cleaning also removes any plaque hiding between the teeth or in places you can’t reach.
We recommend a professional cleaning at least twice yearly to ensure that your teeth are plaque- and tartar-free.
If you haven’t been to the dentist in ages, we may even recommend a “deep cleaning.” A deep cleaning is more intense and will work to remove tartar under the gums and restore your dental health.
Extensive cleanings may even take more than one session to properly remove calculus. We’ll discuss all of your options after our initial examination, such as what type of cleaning we recommend and the number of sessions the cleaning will require.
What You Can Do to Prevent a Calculus Bridge
Stopping plaque and calculus requires you to follow a strict dental routine, but in just a few minutes per day, you can put your worry of calculus behind you.
Brush 2+ Times Daily
How often do you brush your teeth? Studies are conclusive that brushing at least twice per day is optimal. If no one taught you how to brush properly, it’s simple:
- Brush each of the four quadrants in your mouth for 30 seconds
- Brush for a total of 2 minutes per brushing session
You can use a manual toothbrush, but an electric model will do the job more efficiently than you can. For example, one study found that a powered toothbrush:
- Removed more plaque vs a manual brush
- Improved gingival health
One of the nice features of an electric toothbrush is that many of them have built-in timers that will alert you when you’ve brushed for two minutes or more.
If you want to stick to your manual toothbrush, be sure to:
- Brush at a 45-degree angle
- Begin brushing on the outer surface and then move to the inner surfaces
- Brush your “chewing” surfaces
- Brush the front teeth vertically
You want to be sure that you reach your gums when brushing and brush the entire surface of the tooth. The goal of brushing your teeth is to remove any of the pesky food particles and plaque that have built up on the tooth.
Thorough brushing can prevent calculus from forming, making your next dental visit more pleasant.
P.S. Don’t forget to replace your manual toothbrush about every three months.
Choose Fluoride Toothpaste
Brushing with the right toothpaste can help you keep your plaque under control. Fluoride toothpaste is a great option and will work to fight off plaque.
Floss Regularly
If you think brushing alone is enough to keep your teeth in perfect condition, you’ll be sad to know that this isn’t the case. Small food particles will get stuck between the teeth and may not make their way out of them.
When these particles remain, they allow plaque to build up between the teeth and will eventually lead to calculus.
Flossing between your teeth allows you to reach those hard-to-reach areas where plaque forms and tries to “hide.”
Also, be sure that you’re flossing the right way. Proper flossing techniques require you to do the following:
- Start with the floss as a “C-shape” around the tooth
- Slide the floss to your gum line
- Move the floss from the gum line to the bottom of the tooth
- Repeat multiple times
You’ll find that flossing takes a little time to master and, if you hit your gums, minor bleeding may occur. However, within a week, you’ll be used to flossing and will remove any plaque that is beginning to form between your teeth.
Don’t like flossing with traditional dental floss?
Water flossers allow you to remove debris and plaque from between your teeth without using a little string. Many patients that find flossing difficult or “painful” should try a water flosser. One study found that water flossers were as efficient as using regular floss when trying to remove interdental plaque.
Rinse With Antiseptic Mouthwash
Mouthwash helps refresh your mouth and kills bacteria, too. What bacteria does it kill? The bacteria that is responsible for plaque. If you use mouthwash once or more daily, you can kill plaque-causing bacteria that may lead to calculus in the future.
Routine Dental Cleanings
Everyone should adhere to their dentist-recommended cleaning schedule. You may follow all of the recommendations above and believe that your teeth are in pristine condition, but plaque has a sneaky way of hiding away from where you brush.
Plaque will also stick between your teeth, and it will eventually cause tartar/calculus.
During a routine dental cleaning, which should be done twice per year, we’ll remove any of this pesky plaque, tartar and calculus so that it doesn’t damage your teeth or gums. The cost to clean your teeth will the be the least expensive dental treatment you can have done for your mouth. The only way to remove calculus is with the help of a dentist or dental hygienist.
You can brush and floss daily, but if tartar has formed on your teeth, it won’t come off without our help.
So, what are you waiting for?
Click here to schedule a dental visit and have us remove the dental calculus for you.
