Hidden plaque revealed?

[luchababe]

So my teeth are starting to move and they seem to be revealing some secrets. First one tooth, now a second one now have a very thin white "edge" on one side, a small lump that's whiter that the rest of my tooth. I'm thinking it's plaque that's been hidden in there all this time, couldn't be removed by a hygienist because it was tucked away, regular flossing wasn't enough to prevent it and now it's come out into the light of day. Has anyone else seen this?



I can't brush it off, it's hard and it's stuck there. Looks like I have quite the scraping ahead of me...

[felicia]

I had that too, in multiple places. The hygienist took care of it at my next appt.

[Audra]

You can guy a dental pic at the drugstore and scrape it off yourself.

[Snowglobe32]

I agree with Audra. I bought the dental pik kit for less than $6 or $5 at Target. It comes with two picks and a mirror. It works wonders!

I just took off my powerchain and found plaque on my wire. I did this for the first time a while ago and every few days I either take the powechain off completely, or I just take a few loops off at a time and then do my dental routine.

[luchababe]

I could take care of it myself? Interesting... I'll see if I can find a pick at my drug store. My next appointment is Dec 20, so I could wait until then too. Thanks for the answers!

[seriousthinker]

I'm certain that I'll have this issure to since my teeth have been squashed together like this since I was about 9 or 10.

I'd be a bit too nervous to scrape it off myself as I'd prob poke myself lol.

ST

[luchababe]

I have my answer. It's "calculus", or yes, plaque which has just showed up on some teeth. The hygienist wasn't bothered about it, she scraped it off no probs. She said the dentist will do it too. It's all normal. Phew!

[Snowglobe32]

I just had my teeth cleaned on Friday. I took my powerchain off for the cleaning. Let me tell you, it was not pretty underneath. I had serious staining on my bottom two front teeth. I brush 3-4 times a day, floss every night, use my waterpik twice a day, and I still had plaque!

My hygienist referred to it as staining. I told her I don't drink coffee, I drink soda from a straw, I brush after eating...she explained that sometimes plaque can change color. I hate plaque! She said it is easily removable and that I had the good kind of plaque, if there is such a thing. I hate plaque!

[fraid090]

Can you take powerchains off everytime you brush?

[Audra]

That's not a good idea.

[drrick]

Yep, it is calculus or tartar. Hardened plaque. The most common place to see it is on the back of the lower front teeth and for many on the outside of the upper first/second molar. That is where the salivary glads tend to release their mineral rich contents.

It is normal. That is what the dentist or hygienist spends most of their time removing at your cleaning appointments as it is very difficult to remove it on your own once hardened. It is like a plaque barnacle stuck to your teeth.

[luchababe]

Yep, it is calculus or tartar. Hardened plaque. The most common place to see it is on the back of the lower front teeth and for many on the outside of the upper first/second molar. That is where the salivary glads tend to release their mineral rich contents.

It is normal. That is what the dentist or hygienist spends most of their time removing at your cleaning appointments as it is very difficult to remove it on your own once hardened. It is like a plaque barnacle stuck to your teeth.

I had never seen it on myself so prominently, or have it appear so quickly! My next dentist appointment is in April so I hope that my gums don't grow over anything before I can get it cleaned off.

[fishtails]

The teeth do reveal their secrets when they move. OP, you're lucky that the tartar/plaque is close to teeth colored...

My teeth revealed a dark brown spot in my front teeth! It looks REALLY bad. Luckily, I have a dentist appt tomorrow. So hopefully, it'll be taken care of. Fingers crossed....

[Snowglobe32]

fishtails~ that dark brown spot is what happens to plaque after it goes unnoticed and changes color (it is called staining). They can get that off rather quickly. I found a brown spot when I took my chain off before my cleaning this past Friday.

fraid090~ I don't think your ortho would want you to take your powerchain off everytime you brush. I do it occasionally, maybe once a week and I didn't tell my ortho. He would probably not like the idea of me taking it off and putting it back on all on my own. It takes a long time to get back on at first. I almost asked for extra powerchains today to take home and change out on my own but I decided against asking. I will just use my waterpik for longer than usual when I get to my powerchain.

[fraid090]

Thank you!