Help! Suddenly rough teeth despite teeth cleaning

Anxiety96

Summary: Within a week, my teeth became rougher than they had ever been before. This caused a quite lot of plaque to accumulate and bad breath. After a professional cleaning, the result of which actually looked good, the teeth became similarly rough again within 7 days (!). Despite good oral hygiene and only eating in the morning and evening. Chlorhexidine helps. What could be the cause? What can I do?

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I am 28 and have had tartar for about 4 years, sometimes more, sometimes less, a few months after a dental cleaning. So far, however, this has been within reasonable limits and has always been removed with a dental cleaning (approx. every 12-14 months). I haven't had any "real" tartar recently, i.e. the kind that you can break off when enough has accumulated, and I've rarely had any in the past. It's more like a very thin layer that you can't get off on your own.

I now have quite a bit of discoloration in some places. Before my last professional cleaning, the discoloration was also somewhat worse than usual.

Up until 4 weeks ago, I thought that everything could be fixed with a dental cleaning (maybe every 6 months if necessary). However, my teeth then became much rougher within a week. Especially on the insides of the lower front teeth and first molars. So in the place where there is the most saliva and where tartar would later form. My teeth have never been anywhere near as rough and it has never happened so quickly.

How can this happen so suddenly? I thought that they had simply become so rough so quickly because the rougher the teeth are, the more plaque sticks to them and that at some point the point is reached where plaque and tartar increase exponentially.
I also had bad breath, which I only had rarely and briefly before.

A week ago I had a dental cleaning. The front teeth in particular were not 100% smooth afterwards, but it was much, much better (maybe 90-95% smooth) and the insides of the molars, which were very rough before, were very smooth afterwards. Overall, it felt good and I thought I could now take my time to look for the cause.

I discovered a slightly rough spot for the first time after 3 days, but I still thought I was imagining it.However, on the 6th day after the professional cleaning, I clearly noticed that my teeth were getting rougher again. And one day later, I suddenly had clearly visible plaque edges again and these strange, firmer, white (not yellowish) plaques on the inside of the lower front teeth.

I then really tried to remove the plaque with a medium manual toothbrush and a Sonicare on the highest setting (I normally brush with this). I also brushed as hard as you shouldn't do every day. Simply to test whether it would even be possible to remove the plaque with a toothbrush. It wasn't. The plaque can only be "scraped off" with a fingernail or scaler. However, I didn't really have to scrape it, but the plaque could be removed relatively easily. It's just so sticky/slimy, which is why you could perhaps compare it to jelly. If I brush jelly with a toothbrush, I would have to do it for a very long time for anything to happen. But I can easily "scrape" something off with a scaler.

I was also surprised that the bad breath was hardly reduced after the professional cleaning. Especially as I now scrape my tongue daily. I don't know where else the odor is supposed to come from directly after the professional cleaning, which actually looked quite successful.

My questions: 1) How can it be that 7 days (!) after a dental cleaning the teeth become as rough again as they never were before? I didn't even eat lunch on 4 of the 7 days. I brushed normally one hour after breakfast and dinner, so that no biofilm should have formed for most of the day.

2) What can I do now? I don't know where this will lead if I don't do anything. A week after the professional cleaning, I started using chlorhexidine in the morning and evening.As expected, this resulted in no new plaque forming. However, the existing plaque also disappeared after two applications, the bad breath is completely gone and the teeth slowly became smoother again. Can any conclusions be drawn from this as to the cause or is the CHX just extremely good at combating the symptoms?

Esel

Be careful about over use of chlorhexidine. It will discolour your teeth before long.

You can get a Daily-use version which is less concentrated.

Are you sure you are using proper brushing technique?

CityDenalCentre

Plaque is a biofilm that can begin to reform quickly after cleaning. Even with good oral hygiene practices, such as brushing twice daily, it is possible for biofilm to start developing again within days. Plaque begins forming almost immediately after cleaning due to bacteria in the mouth that adhere to tooth surfaces. Factors such as saliva flow and dietary habits influence how quickly this occurs. Saliva contains proteins and minerals that can contribute to the formation of plaque. If your saliva has a higher concentration of certain proteins or if there are changes in your diet or hydration levels, this could accelerate plaque formation.

While you mentioned brushing normally after meals, ensure that you are using an effective technique with fluoride toothpaste. A soft-bristled toothbrush is recommended to avoid damaging enamel while effectively removing plaque.

Although you brushed regularly, consider whether you were thorough enough in reaching all areas of your mouth.

 CHX works by binding to bacterial cell walls and disrupting their function, which helps reduce plaque formation significantly. The fact that using CHX led to smoother teeth and eliminated bad breath suggests that it effectively reduces existing bacterial load and prevents new plaque from forming. However, it does not necessarily address underlying issues such as saliva composition or individual susceptibility to plaque buildup.

Continue using chlorhexidine as directed by your dentist but be aware that prolonged use may lead to side effects like staining.

Consider incorporating an electric toothbrush for more effective plaque removal.

Maintain regular dental check-ups for professional cleanings every six months or as recommended by your dentist.

Discuss with your dentist any underlying conditions that might contribute to rapid plaque formation (e.g., dry mouth).