Oral hygiene treatment

Briefly on dental calculus

Dental calculus or tartar is none other than calcified plaque. Lime salts that can be found in the saliva precipitate onto the plaque that is situated on the surface of teeth. The surface of the tartar is very rough, so bacteria can easily stick to it. Partly this and the tartar build-ups at and under gum level are the cause of inflammation, which is due to the physical irritation caused by plaque. The first signs of gingivitis are the bleeding of the gum while brushing, its redness, hyperaemia and swollenness. Gingivitis is reversible. With the removal of tartar, and good oral hygiene, gingivitis can be terminated.

Tartar removal, polishing

If the tartar is not removed in time, it will spread under the gum as it grows, causing the inflammation not only of the gum, but the periodontium as well. Periodontal inflammation causes the decay of the bone around the root of the tooth, which leads to the loosening, or in more serious cases, the loss of the tooth. Periodontal decay is unfortunately an irreversible process. Further bone resorption can be stopped or slowed down with the removal of tartar build-ups, but the bone will not be reformed again.Dental decay is the most frequent cause of tooth loss for people under the age of forty, while for the over forties, the main cause is periodontal destruction which is triggered by the tartar-induced inflammation of the periodontium. The removal of the tartar is carried out by ultrasonic equipment, as tiny beads of water collapse on the surface of the tooth due to the ultrasound, which as a result, flakes off the tartar. This provides the great advantage of leaving the enamel intact. The ultrasonic tartar removal is then followed by interdental cleaning with the use of sandpaper-like tape, then by polishing with a special polishing paste and a polishing brush that can be inserted into a drill. Not only the discolorations caused by tobacco, coffee and tea can be completely cleared by polishing, but the remnants of tartar that are invisible to the naked eye as well.