Dental Tips

Greetings from Toronto. Today I am resuming my blog posts. I will be posting to this space approximately once a week and will be talking about topics of dental interest. I will also submit information that is currently available from other sources on dentistry and related topics. Today I would like to talk about a few things related to cleaning teeth. I had a patient who came into the office last week for a hygiene visit. It had been a little over a year since she had last had her teeth cleaned. Although she has excellent homecare, she brushes and flosses regularly, she was surprised to find that she had a lot of build up of bacteria and debris under the gum line. She didn't realize how important her office visits were. Cleaning of teeth is a job that is best shared. There are things that we can do in the dental office and things that people must do at home. Plaque, which is basically bacteria, builds up around the teeth. It is soft and can be removed at home with a tooth brush and floss. It only takes 24 hours to build up on the tooth surface. If it's not removed at home daily, it can grow down around the tooth and get under the gum where it can destroy the bone that supports the tooth roots, and it can also enter the blood stream where it can cause or contribute to health problems such as heart issues, stroke, diabetes, respiratory issues, and the list goes on. Over time that bacteria along with mineral deposits on the teeth, (know as calculus or tartar) can adhere to the tooth. These deposits are hard, and must be removed professionally. Different people will build up deposits at different rates. This is what we do at the office, we remove the hard deposits, and help to set up an appropriate interval for maintenance visits. Look out for more "Dental Tips" as we move forward over the next while. Sincerely, Dr. Marty Frankel 5775 Yonge Street, Suite 1000 Toronto, Ontario, M4M 2J1 416-770-8526