Sticky plaque

As always, dry teeth to see what's on them. Plaque can be thick or thin and especially tenuous plaque can be present on the maxillary anterior teeth in mouth breathers. Be wary of patient profile (Increased overjet, long faces and lip incompetence) which may be aetiological in mouthbreathers. Mouthbreathing causes air to flow over teeth causing them to dry. This leads to plaque increasing in stickiness causing even thin layers of plaque to adhere to teeth strongly. This may not be removed with prophylaxis. A sickle scaler can be useful to remove this plaque. Orthodontist referral is useful in these patients.