Is this Plaque??

[12345aaa]

Hello all,


I'm 28 years old and admittedly I have never taken oral hygiene seriously. Usually when I would go to the dentist, they might find 0-2 cavities (maybe because my diet is low in sugar). Anyways, after the scraping and polishing my teeth would always look nice and white and feel smooth.. However, I haven't been to the dentist in maybe 3 years and probably can't go for a while, but I want to take steps to be able to improve my teeth as much as I can in the meantime.

I bought a basic set of dental tools on Amazon and am shopping for a good mouthwash. But my question is about if it's appropriate to use the tools on my teeth, considering their condition. I just wanted to double check that this substance is indeed plaque and scrap-able. I see this yellowish buildup on top two front teeth (8, 9) and similarly at the base/up the sides of the front bottom teeth (#23-26). Somehow today either when I was brushing or flossing a good chuck of it came off the front tooth, exposing a nice white underneath it that matches the rest of the tooth. After I noticed this I used the back-end of a floss stick trying to get some of the bottom tooth and I manage to get piece off that was brittle and crumbled easily from the friction from my fingers. I attached a picture. I couldn't seem to get a picture that didn't have glare and thus colors are a bit inaccurate. But you can see the places where I chipped off the (presumable) plaque. The "C" or crescent shaped moon on the top-left front tooth and then directly below it on the inside part (closest to center line) of the bottom tooth. It seems kinda deep on that bottom tooth but I think it's just a solid layer of plaque?

Thanks for reading!

 

[honestdoc]

What are the reasons you haven't gone to the dentist? Was it time, money/insurance coverage, anxiety, etc? I notice some gum inflammation on your lower anteriors. If you can overcome your obstacle(s) of seeing a dentist, get your mouth checked with x-rays and gum probings to check for gum disease and attachment loss. Gum disease can be very deteriorating and can lead to tooth loss. In addition to checking your gums, the dentist will also check for cavities and possible mouth cancer. Earlier this year, I had encountered a lady with her left side of her face swollen and she felt numb in the area. She had the swelling for ~4 months and x-ray revealed an aggressive tumor invading her left jaw bone fracturing it. She had no teeth on that side and the bone was already thin. The tumor and swelling was so severe, she couldn't move her head or open her mouth very well. She had a hard time eating and presented with fever and severe malnutrition, I estimated she had less than 2 weeks to live.