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Plaque? What is that gooey, whitish-yellow, sticky stuff on my teeth?
Plaque is a scientific name applied to that goop that grows on your teeth, but I think it is important for you to know exactly what plaque REALLY is.
You know that a microscope is used to make things that we normally could not see appear much larger. You also know that bacteria are tiny little germs or "bugs" that cannot be seen without a microscope. If we took some plaque off your teeth or gums the size of this circle (o) and put it under a microscope to count the bacteria, we would find about two to three hundred thousand "bugs" in that small circle. Most people then, have literally billions of these little "bugs" or bacteria in their mouths.
This is where the trouble starts. You see these "bugs", billions of them, eat any food that you leave in your mouth; they have nothing else to do since they do not sleep or play Sony Play Station. So, they eat and expand until they are ready to explode. Then do you know what they do... when they can eat no more? That's right. They go to the bathroom right on your teeth and gums! Sound disgusting? Well, it is. You see, this "bug poop" (acid) burns holes in your teeth. We call these holes cavities.
"Bug Poop" also contains gases (odor), and you are familiar with the gases if you have ever emptied the garbage. The odor from the garbage is caused by rotting and spoilage of food. Bad breath is caused by the gases from "bug poop" after the bugs eat any food you leave in your mouth.
The answer to this problem is to brush and floss your teeth after every meal.
Remember, sugar is the one food that these "bugs" can turn into acid (poop) in 22 seconds after it enters your mouth. So if you must eat something with sugar in it, clean your teeth immediately!
After all, nobody wants to be known to their classmates or boyfriends or girlfriends, as that person with "bug poop" all over their teeth. Remember in our office we don't call it plaque.
We call it like it is...
"BUG POOP"» Return to Patient Info
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