Can I Scrape Plaque Off My Teeth
If you’ve been to the dentist for a checkup and cleaning, your dental hygienist or dentist has used a sharp metal hook with a fine, pointed tip to scrape the surfaces of your teeth, especially at and just below your gum line. This is only part of a complete professional dental cleaning, but it’s an important one, because it is the only way to safely scrape plaque and tartar off the teeth. If you’re tempted to try to scrape plaque or tartar off your teeth at home, you might want to consider the many reasons that this isn’t a good idea at all. The tool your dental hygienist uses to scrape the teeth is called a dental scaler, and its sharp edges and tip can reach below the gums to scale plaque and tartar from the teeth. While it may be possible to purchase similar tools online or in a store, in the hands of someone without the proper training, these tools can cause painful damage to the gums and the other soft tissues in the mouth. These injuries can easily cause receding gums, tooth sensitivity, and infections. Proper technique is also imperative for these tools to be effective; it’s easy, for example, to push tartar deeper into the gum line, rather than scraping it out, when such small yet powerful tools are used by amateurs.
It takes years of specialized instruction to become certified as a dental hygienist, and dental hygienists continue to undergo training to keep their practices aligned with advances in the field. In their initial training, which lasts two years or more, dental hygienists learn how to safely and effectively use dental scalers and other dental tools to thoroughly clean the teeth both above and below the gums. At your routine dental checkup, your dental hygienist can remove any plaque that remains on your teeth after brushing and flossing, and they can scrape away deposits of plaque and calcified plaque, or tartar. It takes a skilled hand to do this effectively without damaging the delicate soft tissues of the mouth, so leave the specialized tools to your dentist and dental hygienist.
Instead, make sure to do your best to keep your teeth and gums healthy in between visits to the dentist. Clean between your teeth once a day, using floss or another type of approved interdental cleaner, and brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled brush. Many dentists recommend using an electric toothbrush, which helps people brush for the recommended two-minute duration and which thoroughly cleans the teeth and gum line while protecting the gum tissue from friction damage. Antibacterial mouth rinses can help reduce the amount of plaque that forms, especially when used after snacking. Some people are more prone to plaque buildup than others; if you smoke, for example, or have a diet high in sugars and starches, you may produce more plaque or more tenacious plaque. You and your dentist should discuss possible contributing factors if you perceive an abundance of plaque on your teeth, and you can also discuss management methods when the issue is caused by diet or habits like smoking. While many aspects of good oral health can be managed with habits and behaviors, some of them will always require professional intervention, and that includes scraping plaque and tartar from the teeth. Do your part for the health of your teeth and mouth, and let your dental team do theirs.