The yellow and sticky things on the teeth are accelerating the decay of your teeth

When many people wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, they will see some yellow and sticky dirt on the edge of their gums.

Strange!

He obviously brushed his teeth last night, why did this kind of soft and sticky tartar appear out of nowhere in just one night? Could it be that he ate it in a dream?

In fact, these loose things that "lie" on the tooth surface are soft dirt (may also include dental plaque and early dental calculus) .

when you see soft dirt

Dental plaque is already multiplying like crazy

Soft dirt looks ugly, but it is very gentle and has no pathogenicity in itself. But it feeds a more dangerous thing, which is the culprit of various oral diseases-dental plaque!

Dental plaque is invisible and intangible at the beginning, but it reproduces extremely fast ^[1,2] .

➊ 20 minutes (such as taking a nap), the plaque will lay the foundation

After brushing your teeth, it only takes 20 minutes to form a uniform film on the tooth surface, with a thickness of about 1-10 microns.

Don't underestimate this "membrane", it can make the original smooth tooth surface full of stickiness, and catch the free bacteria in the mouth. Simply put, the originally helpless bacteria in the oral cavity can live and work in peace and contentment by attaching to this membrane.

➋ 2 hours (such as watching a movie), plaque colonies have formed

One hour after the formation of the acquired film, the first "bacterial pioneers" adhered to it, rapidly growing and multiplying.

Studies have found that within 2 to 6 hours of plaque formation, the number of streptococci increases significantly. Under the microscope, it can be seen that the spherical bacteria form a "chain" hand in hand, providing a "residence" for the subsequent flora.

➌ In just 1 day, dental plaque covers the surface of the teeth

According to statistics, there are 100,000,000,000 bacteria in every gram of dental plaque (1 followed by 11 0, 100 billion). It is not easy to feed so many bacteria brothers. At this time, the soft dirt mentioned at the beginning will play a role.

Soft dirt, generally contains food debris (residue from the last brushing, residue from eating during the period, etc.) .

Think about it, we eat all kinds of things 24 hours a day. If we don’t rinse our mouth or brush our teeth in time, food debris can easily remain on the neck of the teeth and cause soft dirt. With soft scale, there is capital for growth and reproduction— sugar and protein in soft scale are required for the growth and reproduction of bacteria, which can make dental plaque develop more rapidly and become bigger and stronger.

In just 3 days, soft plaque allows plaque to take root

and damage to teeth

If soft stains are not removed promptly, plaque will continue to build up. Experiments have found that under 72 hours of continuous "brewing", dental plaque becomes very thick ^[3,4] .

As the bacteria in the plaque increase, oxygen levels drop and anaerobic bacteria become more numerous. You must know that many bacteria that cause oral diseases are anaerobic bacteria. They exist in them, like demolition teams, and begin to damage teeth and gums.

➊ Plaque accumulation, more prone to tooth decay

The bacteria in dental plaque will produce acid under certain conditions, if not washed in time, it will corrode the teeth and cause tooth decay.

➋ Dental plaque contributes to dental calculus, causing bad breath

The long-term deposited plaque, combined with the minerals in saliva, will calcify to form hard calculus (appears to be yellow, brown or even black to the naked eye) ; at the same time, the bacteria in the calculus will decompose food residues to produce gas, leading to smoky bad breath.

➌ Lead to gingivitis/periodontitis and even tooth loss

Dental calculus is most likely to accumulate on the edge of the gums, constantly irritating the periodontal tissue, compressing the gums, and causing gum inflammation. Moreover, dental calculus, with its porous and rough structure, absorbs bacteria and dental plaque, eventually leading to more severe periodontitis, and even loosening and loss of teeth.

To get rid of soft dirt and plaque

Brushing your teeth twice in the morning and evening is really not enough

In order to eat well, people will insist on brushing their teeth well every day "eight in the morning and ten in the evening".

Unexpectedly, the ten or so hours in the middle are enough to form sticky soft plaque on the tooth surface, which is enough to make oral bacteria party and build a "super project" of dental plaque.

At this time, in addition to the most important thing of brushing teeth, mouthwash is a good choice.

Unlike brushing, flossing, flossers and other mechanical cleaning of teeth and gums, mouthwash can wash away food residues and soft dirt on the tooth surface in time through the scouring effect, allowing the "soil" on which bacteria depend to survive to be lost.

In addition, the antibacterial ingredients in the mouthwash flow over the surface of the teeth, which can reduce the bacteria in the plaque in time and prevent tooth and gum problems caused by the expansion of the plaque.

For example, after lunch or afternoon tea, you may wish to consider a mouthwash, gurgling for a few seconds, you can wash away the food residue in your mouth, prevent soft dirt from forming, and resist dental plaque becomes simpler, more convenient and more effective. Efficient!