Understanding Bacterial Plaque
The moment you finish brushing, flossing and scraping your tongue it starts up. Even right away, after a professional teeth cleaning when things are feeling smooth and squeaky clean, it begins. The biofilm begins to grow on your teeth. The bacteria move in, colonize and grow. Minimal management requires mechanical removal by brushing and flossing twice a day.
It is Getting Harder by the Day
In the areas you miss with your toothbrush and floss, the sticky biofilm and bacterial colonies not only grow in number and variety, they mineralize. The once easy to remove plaque becomes a hardened layer of tartar or calculus. Layer upon layer builds up until your next dental visit. Sometimes it is visible. Often it is in between the teeth and under the gum tissue.
Stain and More
Some of the bacteria in plaque are green, orange, yellow or even red. Often the rough surface of the calcified tartar or calculus attracts stain from coffee, tea, red wine even dark berries can be the culprit. Smoking leaves its mark. As you count off the days until your next dental visit, keep in mind regularly brushing and flossing can prevent staining.
Food Spoils
Okay this gets pretty disgusting. Chunks of food get stuck in the bacterial plaque. Materia alba once a delectable meal or snack now feed the bacteria. The colonies grow secreting acid and nasty chemicals that eat away teeth and cause inflammation of the gums.
http://youtu.be/KGB3UHeVvSg
