How Clean Is Clean?

A patient recently commented to me about how "clean" her teeth felt after our hygienist had finished. I was pleased that the patient enjoyed the newly polished and smooth texture of her dentition; however, I also saw an opportunity for a little education.

Part of TOOTH ANATOMY includes leftover vestiges of development called dentinal tubules. These microscopic pores provide the perfect hiding place for bacteria and yeast. This fact makes it practically impossible to mechanically remove all microbes from a tooth's surface. This is why many times I will recommend a chemical therapy as an adjunct to regular hygiene maintenance.

DID YOU KNOW?... The human body contains more bacterial cells than human cells. Consider the mouth, gut, skin, etc. In fact many of these bacterial cells are actually beneficial to us.