plaque formation on lower incisors

[Stay healthy Be happy]

I am a 29 year old woman. I have a problem of plaque formation on the inner side of my lower incisors near the gums.
For this I had undergone scaling twice in an interval of two years. For the last two years I have been put on a rigorous work schedule. Due to the stressful routine I had neglected my general health, let alone my mouth. Due to this the plaque have gone deeper into my gums and now I am worried. Is there a way to prevent the plaque formation? I get tensed when lying before the dentist and I really feel uncomfortable with the scaling session. Brushing is not of great help to prevent food deposition as I am bit worried for my gums too. Please help me out with any advice..

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi,

It is better to talk about how to prevent calculus formation rather than dental plaque because the dental plaque sits comfortably on the calculus and does not sit comfortably on the tooth itself. In other words, without the calculus there is hardly any dental plaque).
It is practically very very very difficult to clean the inner side of the lower front teeth well. It is known to accumulate more calculus than other places in the mouth. So once in a while it is advised to have a mouth cleaning (even dentists need to have this area cleaned, I can testify on that...)

There are two major reasons for this:
1) The lower front teeth face tow major saliva glands (the right and left sublingual glands) which secrete lots of saliva rich with calcium. Calcium is the major ingredient of calculus.
2) brushing the inner facets of these teeth is more challenging because there is little room for the brush to move there. In addition, many patients have a metal retainer there that makes it impossible to floss and to rush well.

The prevention of calculus formation has to be mechanical, hence brushing and proper cleaning between the teeth. Once it is formatted, only a dentist/oral hygienist can remove it. The removal by a health provider should be and can be pain free and stress free. It is possible only if the health provider works slowly, with out water and speedy instruments but with hand instruments and again: working slowly and carefully is the key for a nice experience during a cleaning.