Why Plaque Forms in the First Place
Before you can stop plaque formation, it is useful to understand what plaque is.
Plaque is an infection. It is composed of bacteria that feed off of sugars in the mouth. When plaque is fed, it flourishes and sticks to our teeth. As it continues to be fed, layers of plaque develop.
Eventually, the bacteria, or plaque, on the inner layers, can no longer access oxygen and they learn to survive without it, becoming anaerobic.
This is bad news for your teeth because to survive, this plaque produces lactic acid which causes tooth decay. The eroded tooth enamel, the protective covering of the tooth, softens, and the bacteria of the plaque take advantage of this opening to spread to other areas of the tooth.
This can lead to hard-to-remove tartar build-up known as dental calculus, bad breath, gum disease and other health problems.
The best video explanation of plaque can be viewed here and in under 3 minutes.
Is Food to Blame For Plaque Formation?
Is food to blame for the formation of plaque and if so, shouldn’t regular brushing and flossing be enough to stop plaque formation for good?
To answer this question, it’s important to differentiate between good bacteria and harmful bacteria.
In oral health, good bacteria is called the “skin of your teeth” and it forms a protective film over your teeth called biofilm. This sticky film is made of healthy bacteria wrapped in protein.
Streptococcus mutans, on the other hand, is a harmful bacteria and is the cause of plaque. This harmful bacteria feeds off of sugars in your mouth, including food stuck between your teeth, to form plaque. With time and left alone, this plaque hardens and tartar forms.
As you can see, food allows for a breeding ground of harmful bacteria. Acidic foods aid in the process of plaque and tartar formation but it is not the direct cause. If the bad bacteria in your mouth didn’t exist in the first place, then the chain of plaque formation is broken.
So, although having bits of food in your mouth and stuck between your teeth is unpleasant, it is not the direct cause of plaque and tartar formation.
What Dentists Tell Us About Preventing Plaque
Dentists, governed by the American Dental Association, recommend regular professional cleanings for healthy teeth. Regular professional cleanings strip our teeth of any plaque and scrape off existing tartar build-up that may have formed around the gum line.
As part of good oral health, dentists recommend brushing a minimum of two times per day and flossing once in the morning and once before bed to remove food between the teeth and to scrape off any plaque formation along the contours of the teeth.
When you visit the dentist, the majority of the time you spend is with the dental hygienist who uses electric tools and sharp, metal picks to clean your teeth.
Dentists recommend twice daily brushing and flossing.
Although they may not explicitly say this, by recommending professional cleaning every six to nine months, dentists imply that professional cleaning is the only way to prevent dental plaque and maintain good oral health.
This further implies that even if you maintain good dental hygiene and generally take good care of your teeth by following their brushing and flossing protocol, all you’re doing is building up a dam to stave off the bad stuff until the dentist can do the real work.
If food is not the direct cause of plaque build-up and tartar formation, does the brushing-flossing protocol recommended by dentists address the root of the problem?
What the Internet Tells Us About Removing Plaque
If you search the internet for natural remedies to stop plaque formation, you’ll see results that include words like oil pulling, baking soda, salt water rinse, aloe vera, turmeric and even orange peels.
Coconut oil pulling has become an increasingly popular go-to method for people who want to remove plaque and tartar at home.
In fact, oil pulling is an extremely powerful therapy. Its effects are similar to the effects of antibiotics. Oil pulling is an ancient practice based on Ayurvedic medicine that’s been around for more than 2,000 years.
Coconut oil pulling: Mix oil with a cup of warm water and swish
Oil pulling involves combining oil with a cup of warm water—coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil, tea tree oil—and swishing for fifteen to twenty minutes and then spitting it out.
The problem with this method and many home remedies for plaque build-up including baking soda, is that it is too powerful. It wipes out the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria and leaves your mouth defenceless.
Importance of Saliva pH
What dentists rarely talk about and something critical to good oral health is the pH level or acidity of your saliva.
The acidity of your saliva fluctuates with every sip of a drink, even water. Spicy foods, sugary foods and soda all push your saliva pH toward acidity. If you let these linger in your mouth, it’s like bathing your teeth in battery acid.
So much of the advice we get regarding diet and nutrition contributes to poor oral hygiene. For example, regular drinking and snacking wreaks havoc on our saliva pH.
The importance of maintaining a healthy saliva pH—not brushing and flossing—is the difference between plaque and tartar formation and a clean, plaque-free and tartar-free mouth.
This is not to say that brushing and flossing have no role in oral health. But if you ignore the healthy balance of your saliva, no amount of brushing and flossing will permanently stop plaque formation and you will rely on professional cleaning forever.
Ways to Maintain Healthy Saliva Production
A healthy diet and managing saliva pH after eating and drinking are the two main ways to maintain healthy saliva production and good dental health.
A healthy diet includes fruits and vegetables, foods high in fiber and vitamin C, fermented foods and any foods that promote a healthy gut. Speaking of healthy gut, check out the easiest way to make the most delicious bone broth.
To manage saliva acidity between meals, you need something to raise the pH.
Some foods lower the acidity of your mouth. For example, watermelon, asparagus, mushrooms, mango, apples, and garlic. Lemons, on the other hand, alkalize or reduce the acidity of the body but make your mouth more acidic.
Another way to lower the acidity of your saliva between meals is xylitol. The easiest way to consume xylitol between meals is by xylitol gum or mints.
Zellie’s Dental Mints with xylitol
Summary
If you have severe plaque build-up and tartar formation, you may need professional cleaning, especially for tartar removal in stubborn areas.
That said, there are home remedies to stop future plaque formation for good, so you no longer need to suffer the picking and scraping of professional cleaning.
The main takeaway is to manage the acidity of your saliva and you can do this by maintaining a healthy diet that promotes a healthy gut and managing the acidity of your saliva by eating foods that reduce acidity and with gum or mints that contain xylitol, which quickly reduces acidity and creates a healthy environment for your teeth.
The best way to stop plaque formation for good is to remember that good dental care begins at home and not with your dentist.
