Common
Dental Terms
You may hear several words or
phrases at your dental cleaning that are not in your day-to-day vocabulary. You
may be more familiar with some than others, but let’s review to make sure that
you get the most out of each visit to the dentist.
Plaque is the soft, sticky, typically white to yellowed colored
film that builds up on teeth. Plaque is made up of colonies of bacteria (bad
germs) that can negatively affect your teeth and gums. The bacteria in our
mouths are constantly trying to build plaque, whether we have eaten or not.
Because plaque is soft, it can be removed daily at home with proper brushing
and flossing technique. Plaque is often so close to the color of our teeth,
that it is hard to see. Plaque begins formation at the gum line and not
brushing the bristles up onto gums can lead to tartar formation.
TARTAR
Tartar the term for what is formed when the soft plaque
isn’t removed and is allowed to harden on the teeth. Tartar can be considered
as the calcified form of bacterial plaque and can wreak havoc on gum health.
Because tartar is hardened on, it must be removed by your dental hygienist.
The dental textbook term for
tartar is calculus – just in case you
hear this word.
INFLAMMATION
This is the term used for gums that are
red, puffy, and/or bleeding. If you have any areas of gums that are inflamed,
this means that extra bacterial colonies (plaque) have set up in this area and
your body is trying to fight this bad bacteria off. Extra hygiene attention may
be needed or even a localized antibiotic. Your dental professional can help
identify and aid you in healing these bacterial infected areas. Regular
bleeding of the gums is not a healthy sign and is often also called GINGIVITIS.
This might be a term you hear when we are talking about the
start of a cavity. An incipient cavity is small enough that it does not need a
filling yet and can possibly be re-hardened. See in the picture the decay is
just into the enamel. Incipient cavities can occasionally be re-mineralized
(hardened back) by extra cleaning attention with brush and floss, and by
incorporating extra fluoride. The Meiners’ Dentistry Team can customize your
routine to help re-strengthen your teeth!
RECESSION
Recession of the gums is when the gum tissue begins to move
away from the top of the tooth toward the root. This can leave areas of the
tooth’s root exposed. Occasionally these areas are sensitive, but not always.
Recession is a slow process but needs close monitoring to ensure keeping your
teeth. Recession can be caused by a few different things or can even just
increase as we age; Dr. Meiners can help diagnose your causing factors and how
to help combat recession.
We
recognize that there are a lot of “dental words.” At Meiners Dentistry we
always welcome questions about terms or procedures that you may not be quite as
familiar with. The above words are commonly used at recall cleaning visits, but
are very important to understand as they can lead to more serious issues. Don’t
be afraid to inquire about your mouth! We plan to keep you smiling (and eating)
in those pearly whites!
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