No matter what I do .....

 
It's been six months - maybe longer, since you've been to the dentist.  You get a postcard in the mail and perhaps a follow-up phonecall "It's check-up and cleaning time!"

You spend a few days leading up to your dental appointment flossing and brushing like a maniac playing catch up for the days you slacked off without flossing before bed and all chugging pop and junk food.

At your appointment, you're dental hygienist takes some xrays, asks you to stick out your tongue, looks down your throat, and measures the bone and gums.  Just when you think you're golden, the hygienist says "you've got quite a bit of tartar in your mouth and it is especially heavy on the back side of your lower front teeth" ..... and then out comes the highspeed equipment and sharp tools.

"Geez," you say, "No matter what I do, I always get that buildup right there!"

Most patients are not aware of what dental hygienist sees when a small mouth mirror reflects the image of the back side of your lower front teeth.  Many are astounded when they are given a hand mirror to see the reflected image of this area for themselves.  Responses are typically something like "How did that get there?  I brush my teeth twice a day!"

Simply stated tartar is mineralized plaque. It hardens on the teeth from your spit.  The back side of the lower front teeth is very prone to tartar buildup due to the promity of this area to the sublingual salivary duct that jets saliva out from under your tongue.  Saliva washes over the teeth in this area constantly - it's always under water!  Unless you are hyper-vigilant with brushing and flossing in this region specifically, you are likely to get tartar buildup.

Some easy ways to minimize tartar buildup is to brush your teeth using a pattern rather than a random haphazard approach.  Sequencing is almost more important than how long you brush.  Studies show that most people brush the outsides of the teeth much longer and more thoroughly than the insides.  This is often due to awkward angles, a gag reflex, and an uncomfortable hand/wrist position when brushing these areas.

I encourage you to analyze your own brushing pattern.  Do you sequence logically from one side of the mouth to the other?  Do you spend as much time on the backside of the teeth as you do on the front sides?  Are the toothbrush bristles purposefully guided to clean awkward, hard to reach areas like the backside of the front teeth and the back corners of your mouth (ex. wisdom teeth)?

Just by making a few corrections to your brushing habits, you can greatly improve your oral health.





And flossing....well that's a whole other discussion.....