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Anyone can use plaque-disclosing tablets, but they’re particularly effective for youngsters who haven’t established the best brushing and flossing habits.
Daily brushing and flossing is an important first step. But even conscientious brushers and flossers can miss a few spots, and where there’s an opening, plaque ( bacteria) will develop. Dental plaque is almost invisible to the naked eye so the solution and disclosing tablets contain a red food dye made from vegetable dye (erythrocin) that makes dental plaque easy to see.
After a tablet is used, rinse and spit out the excess dye. You can then look at the teeth in a mirror and easily see where plaque is being missed during brushing and flossing. The stained plaque may not only be on teeth but also on the gums and tongue.
Many dental professionals give their patients disclosing tablets for use at home. Disclosing tablets are also sold though pharmacies or groceries.
We recommend using tablets at home as the tablets are less messy than the solution and you have less chance of staining accidents ruining clothes.
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This is how to use disclosing tablets at home:
- Explain to the child the purpose of the tablets.
- Chew the tablet thoroughly then rinse with water and spit out the excess dye.
- Parent/carer and child observe where plaque remains.
- The stained plaque is then brushed and flossed away from teeth, gums, and tongue with the child checking his/her progress using a mirror. Watch the plaque disappear!
Disclosing tablets help improve your brushing pattern and technique without even realizing it, you may be regularly missing certain parts of your teeth when you brush and floss; disclosing tablets can help you identify these neglected areas. For example, many of our patients don’t brush their back teeth, the back sides of their teeth, or the area next to the gumline as thoroughly as they should. Using disclosing tablets for a few days will show you if you routinely miss any areas. When you know where these areas are, you can spend a bit more time brushing and flossing them, and soon, it will be part of your regular dental hygiene routine. Plaque-disclosing tablets can benefit anyone, but they’re especially useful for people who are prone to plaque build-up due to extenuating circumstances, such as receding gums or dental apparatus, including braces or bridges. |
