Effective Plaque Removal: A Guide to Picks and Oral Hygiene

Plaque is the bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities by interacting with carbohydrate-rich foods that are left on your teeth. Cavities can be prevented through the basics, of course -- brushing twice a day using toothpaste that contains fluoride as well as flossing at least once a day. You should also be visiting your dentist twice a year for a checkup and a cleaning -- your dentist's cleaning is slightly more industrial than yours and thus will use stronger plaque-removing agents. You can also go a step beyond and buy your own plaque pick for home usage.

Instructions

• 1

  Purchase a plaque pick. The most common home plaque pick brand is DenTek, although there are others, including Dental Pik and Conair. You can purchase any of these online.

• 2

  Hold the curved part at the top of the pick flat on your teeth. It should be at the gumline exactly where your tooth starts.

• 3

  Scrape the pick down gently toward the bottom of your tooth to remove plaque.

• 4

  Repeat this process several times as needed.