Dr Timothy Robison

Plaque—Dental Concrete

You may already know about plaque, that yellowish, gooey glop of bacteria that attaches to your teeth. When plaque isn't removed every day, it hardens into concrete-like tartar that we remove by using a special cleaning called debridement.

We understand that it can be difficult for people with active lifestyles to maintain a regular oral care routine.

Kids have music lessons and sports activities after school. After work, adults have meetings and they chauffeur the kids back and forth. So, if you or your children have not had a professional cleaning in a year or more, the tooth surfaces virtually disappear because the teeth are encrusted in tartar.

The concrete that forms on that portion of the tooth that is under the gumline irritates the soft gum tissue and causes it to become red, swollen and sore. Your gums can bleed when you brush or floss.

When plaque stays on your teeth a long time, it is impossible for you to brush it off. Only a professional debridement cleaning can remove that stubborn plaque and tartar.

Debridement is nothing to be alarmed about. It is just another way to keep you and your teeth healthy. Debridement is similar to a regular preventive dental hygiene appointment but more extensive. We use special instruments to carefully and gently clean the plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth.

When we're done, we can review your oral home care and suggest some products and techniques that will help you more effectively brush and floss to keep you and your mouth in the pink.

So, save some room in your busy day for your hygiene appointment. I promise we won't use a jackhammer.