My teeth are in good health and I take good care of them, yet I always get this plaque buildup no matter what I try.
I’ve tried different brushes, toothpastes, and flossing methods to no avail. Mouthwash is too harsh on my mouth and peels my skin off so I avoid that.
I haven’t tried waterpicks or electric brushes yet. Did you? Did they work for you? Have you succeeded in preventing plaque and if so, how???
Don’t eat sugar
The top cavity-forming snack is actually Goldfish cheese crackers, IIRC. Because the snack sticks to your teeth really well and carbs get broken down into sugar anyways. Plus kids are worse about picking their teeth clean with their tongue; Adults will absentmindedly pick at their teeth much longer, but kids tend to lose interest quickly and just leave stuff stuck to their teeth. And since goldfish is a common snack for kids, all of that combines into Goldfish being really horrible for causing cavities, particularly in kids.
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Is sugar acidic? I can deal with coffee black, but if I have to cut coffee as well I will not survive the workday
Sugar is a primary source of food for the bacteria that make up plaque. If you feed the bacteria, they will grow. As you can’t eliminate 100% of the sugar from your diet, teeth care is always going to be required. Less sugar, however, means, slower growth.
Also. Just like dogs have dental chews that help to clean their teeth, eating other non sugar foods can assist with controlling plaque. Vegetables in particular are helpful, but even something like chewing on beef jerky acts as a sort of scrub brush for the outside of the teeth.
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I maintain very good dental hygiene, and my dental hygienist always loves me. These are the tips I’ve picked up from them as I’ve gone
- Use an electric toothbrush. My hygienist didn’t give a recommendation, but I asked what she used and said the Philips Sonicare and really liked it. I got one for $25 on a black friday sale (normally $50 for the model I got). I’m sure plenty would work, but one that also tells you when you’re pressing too hard is a very nice perk, and the timer is a must.
- Floss every day with normal string floss. Honestly, quickly disrupting the bacteria between your teeth is good most days, and then give it a really good go other days to really break things up.
- Never brush with a low pH level in your mouth. Eating anything increases the acidity in your mouth, so wait about 30 minutes before brushing. Some things increase it much more, such as soda. Wait an hour or so after drinking soda or other acidic foods/drinks before brushing. Drinking water can help normalize the pH levels faster, as well. So if you must, just swish around some water a good bit before brushing.
- Saliva is good for you. If you drink a lot of soda or eat a lot of sugary foods, stop it. But since you probably won’t stop (like me) chew sugar free gum to increase saliva production to help fight the sugary-ness of it, as well as help balance the pH levels a little.
- Use alcohol free anti-cavity mouth wash. It’s basically just water and fluoride, so if fluoride toothpaste doesn’t hurt your mouth, you should be okay with this mouthwash.
- Make sure you’re using fluoride toothpaste. It doesn’t need to be fancy, I just use the cheapest fluoride toothpaste.
- Do not rinse out the toothpaste in your mouth after brushing. You want the fluoride to stay on your teeth for as long as possible. And if you do end up using flouride mouthwash, do not drink anything for at least half an hour after using it to make sure the flouride has time to work. The longer it’s on your teeth, the better.
- Brush AT LEAST every night. Of course they always recommend twice a day, but if you picked one, do it before bed and not in the morning. If you don’t brush before bed, the bacteria from the day will sit on your teeth all night going to work on you. I only brush at night, but the hygienists I have always say they wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t told them. And that’s even with habitual soda drinking habits.
- Accept the fact you will get tartar build up. It’s going to happen, despite your best efforts. That’s why you should go to the dentist every 6 months. They will remove the tartar build up with a metal pick, but if you do everything above, it should be an easy job for them.
Thanks for the tips! One nitpick: I’m pretty sure acidity leads to a lower pH, not higher. But, your point still stands!
Good catch. The way I think about the pH scale in my head always feels like acidity should be high on the pH, but that’s just wrong XD
Yeah, it would seem that the [p]ower of [H] should increase with the number of H+ ions! But, they threw in that minus sign for some reason.
You can also get the dental picks off Amazon for a few bucks. You can use it once a month and get rid of the plaque yourself. Then it can’t build up.
No, this isn’t dental advice but I’ve had no issues. Don’t go crazy on your teeth or gums.
Good overview!
Have you tried changing your brushing technique? From my time working in a dentist’s office as an assistant, its usually the brushing technique that most people get wrong. You’re supposed to focus on where the teeth and gums meet.
https://youtu.be/rqAdceHE5CI?si=X7xQdoaV9llNUn4P
I recommend the first 2 from the link above. They’re the most similar to how most people already brush their teeth so its an easy transition. The only real difference is you angle your toothbrush 45° away from the surface of your teeth. Doesn’t matter if you angle it up or down.
Thanks for that, short and informative. I’ve never had a dentist suggest brushing my front teeth at an angle, only molars and premolars. Cheers
I also had this issue. I was doing everything I could think of to take care of my teeth, but I’d go to the dentist and they would comment about plaque and signs of receding gums. I switched to an electric toothbrush and waterpik. I was actually able to reverse some of the recession (verified by having the dentist take measurements, not notable by just looking)
That’s encouraging, thanks for sharing :)
For the best gum health, regular string floss is the best thing you can do. A waterpik is not as effective, and don’t use those one time floss picks both because they aren’t as effective but they’re also just super wasteful.
Get an electric toothbrush, Oral-B is great, don’t feel pressured to get top of the line & Costco has a sale on mid-tier Oral-B 2-pks a few times a year. Get 2 VERY good toothbrushes + a few spare heads for $65.
I have a very specific answer that has worked for me, and I one that hasn’t been said yet. 🙂 Despite prolonged attempts to stop plaque build-up, brushing extensively, mouthwashes, it kept happening. Until I got ProDentim.
I get the “real deal” from their website. It is very expensive, and they look so scammy, too. Their website has a scary countdown timer for their limited-time offer (that always resets, is always active) & they ply you to buy more post-purchase at a deeper discount. It’s tacky AF, I hate it, but the product does work.
ProDentim is based on the idea of replacing the bad bacteria in your mouth with good bacteria. Get your mouth right & it can help take care of itself. It is very expensive…but I figured, so are dental problems. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ After being on ProDentim for a month, I noticed the following:
My gums are healthier, maybe a little stronger. Not swollen. I had a WEIRDLY sensitive tooth, that issue is now gone. My ‘baseline’ for my breath doesn’t smell nearly as bad, it’s all but neutral. And yes, the plaque just doesn’t seem to stick around or build up. Sometimes for days or up to an entire week+ after ceasing ProDentim, yes, I stopped just because I was curious to see how long the plaque shedding would last. That & it’s expensive enough, so rationing it out for effectiveness seems wise.
I talked with my friend recently. I fed it to him, too, without telling him it was “bacteria”. He said, and I quote, “I feel like it’s helped me as well I have no tooth pain and ya sensitivity to cold is almost gone.”
If you really heavily use ProDentim & replace the active bacterial flora in your mouth, gums I can only imagine some positive effects will be more or less permanent. The bacteria in the candies become…your…mouth bacteria. If you try it please write me back & lmk what you think. 🙂
If you’re still reading, here is my exact method I used: I did 2 candies instead of one, morning AND night, for a month. They say to “let the candy melt in your mouth” and that’s it, I say fuck that! I paid for this bacteria, I want to get my money’s worth. I let my saliva build up & fill my mouth, I swish that double dose of bacteria around my teeth & gums for 10, 20, 30 mins. Literally. I do not care, I want that bacteria to be seeded in my body, I give it time. And yeah, ever since late August when I started, my teeth feel fantastic. Even when I lax in my routine, I feel like my baseline is so solid. It’s like how some people have a better mouth without trying? I think I have some of that now. I’ve procured & cultivated the correct mouth bacteria for that to occur.
Electric brushes usually help with that. Do go for a brand like Braun or Philips though, otherwise it’s easy to end up with a toothbrush with non-existent or low-quality replacement heads. You don’t need an expensive model from those brands. Those work about as well as the cheaper models and only include more frills, and their replacement heads are often more expensive too. The only feature I actually find helpful is the 30-second/2-minute timer which most models have nowadays.
Also you don’t need to buy multiple electric brushes, the replacement heads often if not always comes with colored rings you can put on. You can just have a different head for each person that you swap when needed.
I buy a new pack and replace all the heads every season.
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Sonicare toothbrush, then floss, then waterpik. The kids waterpik is cheaper and does the same thing.
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That was interesting ha
I think between a candidiasis and plaque I’ll keep the plaque, at least I have it somewhat under control
Electric brushes (with regularly changed tips) can be amazing. There are also some inexpensive ultrasonic ones and I’m absolutely happy with mine. It’s a whole other level than handbrushes.
there is likely no way to entirely prevent it, but I have been using a sonicare for about nearly 20 years and have had 0 problems with my teeth. I cannot recommend them enough—everyone should have one.
Have you asked your dentist?
I’ve been to a few over the years. I get two types of answers: “because you don’t floss” (I floss), and “this is normal, you just come for an annual cleanup”.
I wonder if it’s really just normal and everyone here in the comments has plaque that gets cleaned up professionally every year, or maybe there are people who have near zero plaque from whom I can learn a thing or two.
I’d trust my dentist over any rando on the interwebs. And yes, a yearly cleaning seems like a good idea.
I’m asking if people had any success with a similar problem on a personal level. It’s a great way to find out what is the norm and what is achievable
The thing is, everyone is different, and what works for you might kill me.
As others have somewhat suggested maybe try some diet modifications. I also recommend going to the dentist and seeing what they have to say, everyone has different things impacting mouth health and a dentist will know how to help you the most.
The plaque forms as a result of bacteria eating the sugars that stay on your teeth. Most dentists in my life have recommended brushing right after eating.
This is actually incorrect. After eating your mouth is becomes a very acidic environment, it means the tooth enamel is at its softest. Brushing at that point only erodes the enamel faster, leading to sensitive teeth.
Gargle first. Wait an hour before brushing, it will allow your saliva to neutralize the acidity and allow the enamel time to remineralize.
Use a toothpaste or mouthwash containing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorhexidine
