Oral health is an important part of human health, and the health status of teeth, as an important organ of the oral cavity, directly affects our quality of life. In daily life, people tend to ignore oral health problems, especially dental calculus, a common oral disease.
This article will discuss in detail the causes and harms of dental calculus, as well as the methods of prevention and improvement, hoping to arouse everyone's attention to oral health.
Teeth play a variety of important roles in the human body. Not only does it help us chew food so that the body can fully absorb nutrients, but it also plays a key role in maintaining the beauty of the facial appearance, and it is also indispensable in aiding pronunciation.
From the perspective of tooth classification, there are four main types of incisors, canines, premolars and molars, each of which undertakes different functions and works together to complete the work of the oral cavity.
Over the course of a person's lifetime, teeth go through two eruption processes. In early childhood, baby teeth gradually erupt to provide the necessary chewing function for the child's growth.
As we age, baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth take their place as our lifelong companions. However, as we age further, the roots of the teeth may gradually loosen, which is a natural physiological process.
In order to continue to enjoy food and maintain a good quality of life, many seniors choose to remove their natural teeth and wear dentures. Nowadays, children's dental health issues are becoming more and more concerning. Some children have tooth damage and premature tooth decay due to reasons such as eating sweets, not brushing their teeth carefully, or unhealthy eating habits.
If left unprotected, these dental problems can further affect oral health and cause a lot of inconvenience to children's lives. Therefore, parents and teachers should pay attention to this issue, guide children to develop good oral hygiene habits, and take them to the dentist regularly to detect and solve dental problems in time.
Next, we will focus on dental calculus, an important problem that affects dental health. The formation of dental calculus is related to a variety of factors.
Saliva production is one of the important factors, and the minerals in saliva can calcify under certain conditions, thus laying the foundation for the formation of dental calculus. In addition, dietary habits also play an important role in the formation of dental calculus.
If you regularly eat sticky, easy-to-residue foods, these food debris tend to accumulate on the surface of your teeth, creating conditions for the formation of dental calculus. At the same time, poor oral hygiene habits are also a key factor in the formation of dental calculus.
If you don't brush your teeth carefully and don't remove food debris and bacteria from your mouth in a timely manner, it will make it easier for tartar to form.
Dental calculus usually attaches to the crown or neck of a tooth and is mainly formed by calcification of minerals from food debris, oral epithelial cells, and saliva. Its color and shape will vary depending on individual differences and the time of formation.
In general, dental calculus is usually white or yellow in color, but in the case of smokers, it may gradually darken. From the point of view of distribution, dental calculus is divided into two types: supragingival calculus and subgingival calculus.
Supragingival stones attach to the smooth surface of the tooth and are relatively easy to spot. Its formation is closely related to factors such as food debris in the mouth, bacteria, and minerals in saliva.
These substances gradually accumulate on the surface of the tooth, and after a period of calcification, supragingival stones are formed. Supragingival stones are usually pale yellow or off-white in color and may become darker due to pigmentation if left uncleaned for a long time.
Subgingival calculus hides under the gums and clings to the root of the teeth. It forms in a similar way to supragingival stones, but is often undetectable because of its subtle location.
The presence of subgingival calculus can cause more damage to the gums and periodontal tissues, which can easily lead to diseases such as periodontitis.
The formation of dental calculus requires certain conditions to be met. On the one hand, the concentration of acid in the mouth is an important factor.
When the acid in the mouth is too high, it will make it easier for the minerals in the saliva to settle on the surface of the teeth, providing a favorable environment for the formation of dental calculus. On the other hand, the parasites present in the mouth, such as bacteria, etc., form plaque on the surface of the teeth, which is the basis for the formation of dental calculus.
Once these two conditions are met at the same time, no matter how carefully we brush our teeth, it is difficult to completely prevent the formation of dental calculus. The dangers of dental calculus cannot be ignored. It not only affects the aesthetics of the teeth, causing yellow or brown hard deposits to appear on the surface of the teeth, which seriously affects the appearance of the teeth, but also easily adsorbs bacteria and toxins, coupled with its own local irritation to the gums, which can easily lead to bleeding gums.
Long-term irritation of dental calculus can also cause gum ulcers, which can cause ulcers on the inside of the gums due to irritation of subgingival tartar and toxins produced by its attachments. In addition, dental calculus can cause bad breath, and when calculus builds up to a certain level, it can trigger gum inflammation, which can lead to bad breath.
What's more, the calculus deposited in the gingival margin or gingival sulcus will cause continuous irritation and pressure to the gums, causing local nutritional disorders and reduced antibacterial ability of the gums, which is prone to inflammation, bleeding, gum recession and other problems. In severe cases, it can also cause periodontal abscesses, loose teeth or even loss of teeth, disrupting the integrity of the dentition, affecting chewing function and overall health. So, is it possible to pick out calculus with your hands? The answer is no. Picking at the calculus directly by hand does not remove it completely.
Calculus doesn't just adhere to the surface of the tooth, but also penetrates deep into the gums, roots, and neck. Only part of the stone on the surface of the crown can be removed by the fingers, while deep stones cannot be removed in this way.
Also, calculus forms quickly, up to 48 hours after brushing, and trying to remove calculus by hand is not only ineffective, but can also lead to gum damage. Fingers or other sharp objects can cause damage to already fragile gums, ranging from bleeding to infection and serious oral health.
Some people even use small sharp tools to pick at calculus, which is tantamount to risking dental health and can damage tooth enamel.
Since it is not feasible to pick the calculus by hand, how should we effectively improve the calculus problem? First, increasing saliva flow helps clean the surface of your teeth. We can help maintain oral hygiene by consuming some acidic foods to stimulate saliva production.
However, it should be noted that sweets will reduce saliva secretion and increase the risk of stone precipitation, so they should be eaten as little as possible. Secondly, eating crude fiber foods is also a good way to do it.
By chewing crude fiber food, a portion of the tartar can be automatically removed to keep the tooth surface clean. In addition, a scientific approach to brushing your teeth is crucial.
Careful brushing of teeth within three hours after each meal can effectively reduce the formation of stones. At the same time, timely correction of crooked teeth and elimination of the bad habit of unilateral chewing can reduce the accumulation of food residues and reduce the possibility of calculus formation.
In addition to the above-mentioned methods, tooth cleaning powder is also believed by some to whiten teeth and remove calculus. Tooth cleaning powder can play a role in whitening teeth to a certain extent, but the effect is limited.
The whitening agent in the tooth cleaning powder mainly acts on the surface of the teeth and may have some effect on mild to moderate staining. However, for deep coloring, tooth cleaning powders are often powerless.
Moreover, tooth cleaning powder may irritate the oral mucosa, and if you are not careful when using it, avoid direct contact with the gums and oral tissues, it may also cause some oral problems. Therefore, when using tooth cleaning powder, we need to choose carefully and follow the correct method to avoid adverse effects on oral health. In conclusion, to maintain oral health and prevent and improve dental calculus, we need to take a combination of approaches. In addition to brushing your teeth properly and paying attention to your diet, it is also very important to clean your teeth regularly.
Every six months to a year, it is important to have a dentist perform a professional cleaning, especially to remove calcified tartar and deep food debris, which is important for maintaining oral health. I hope everyone can pay attention to oral health and have a healthy white tooth.