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Courtesy photos by Tribal Planning Department staff
Tribal members in the Siletz community (above) take part in annual meetings
conducted by the Tribal Planning Department. More than a dozen Tribal
departments and programs made presentations and set up displays, including
the Siletz Tribal Energy Program (right).
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Community Meeting • Jan. 6, 2011
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Tooth Talk — Pond scum, yuck! Bacteria settle on teeth every 8 hours
By Mary Ellen Volansky, RDH, MS
This was written for December 2010
but got lost in the e-mail system changes
and now is probably on Facebook, Linked
In or in the ozone layer floating about.
Letting you know of this delay might
explain some of the comments in Janu
ary’s Tooth Talk and in this article. Enjoy,
even if it is two months late.
From last month (referring to
November’s article), we reviewed the
symptoms of periodontal disease, once
called pyorrhea. This also included a
review of medical conditions that could
make the symptoms of periodontal
disease worse or at least more likely to
appear. And I invited you to schedule an
examination with one of our dentists, Drs.
Megan Saxton and Matthew Winkle.
Now that you know where we’ve
been, I’ll let you know where we’re going.
Here I’ll review calculus, how recession
happens and what makes our gums bleed.
Oh yes, and pond scum.
What makes our gums bleed? Simply
put -infection caused by the bacteria that
grow on our teeth.
Only a few species of bacteria actu
ally cause the infections called gingivitis
and periodontal disease. Only one spe
cies of bacteria generally is considered
to shoulder the responsibility for causing
cavities. The rest of the bacterial species,
about 500 or so, usually are harmless
and even can be helpful by preventing
other bacteria species from taking over
our mouth and causing us sore throats,
mouth sores, etc.
Bacteria live in the darkness and
moistness of our mouths. Eight hours after
a thorough brushing and flossing, those
few species begin to grow as a film on our
teeth. People have been known to describe
their teeth as furry or wearing socks. This
furry feeling, this film, is a biofilm.
The word biofilm is generic for a thin
layer of bacteria growing on a surface. The
bacteria in a biofilm make sticky materials
to hold themselves together and hold onto
whatever surface they choose - living and
non-living, teeth or dentures.
Pond scum is a biofilm. Seagoing ships
develop a biofilm on their hulls. Another
kind of biofilm forms inside our water
pipes, eventually causing an expensive
replacement of our home’s plumbing.
Pond scum and plaque are both
biofilm. They are not the same biofilm.
Each has its own bacteria species growing
within it. The bacteria that form a biofilm
on the outside of ships wouldn’t grow
inside our less-salty mouths and vice
versa, the bacteria in our mouths would
die in the salty sea.
Plaque - biofilm - grows on the sur
faces of our teeth above and below the
gum line. It forms on our teeth eight hours
after we remove it.
In water pipes, the biofilm picks up
calcium from the water and hardens onto
the inside of the pipe as a thin layer. In our
mouths, the biofilm/plaque picks up calcium
from our saliva and hardens in 24 hours onto
our teeth. Every eight hours, another layer of
soft thin biofilm lays itself down on top of
the others) and 24 hours later it’s hard.
In one day’s time, three layers of
plaque settle on our teeth and work to cal
cify there. This calcified biofilm is called
calculus or tartar. It can be yellowish,
off-white and even black in color.
The calculus feels rough to your tongue.
It can build up enough to fill in the spaces
between our teeth. This buildup then will
displace the gum tissue that lives there - no
more sharp triangles of pink tissue growing
between our teeth. Consider calculus as a
sliver that grows bigger each day.
Plaque is what begins a gum infection
or bacteria. Within a few days the irritation
is minor - puffy and red gums, bleeding
and tenderness when flossing and brush
ing. We call those symptoms gingivitis.
Over time this irritation continues as
the gums swell, bleed even more easily
(maybe when eating or doing home care)
and become sore for longer time as calculus
displaces the gum tissue around our teeth.
Over time, more of a tooth or teeth
become visible above the gum line. The
teeth become loose. Sometimes a painful
abscess forms. We call these symptoms
periodontal disease, a fancy name for a
gum infection or pyorrhea.
Remember having an instrument
placed around all your teeth and gums
and the dentist or hygienist calling out
a bunch of numbers? This is done to
measure the placement or displacement
of gum tissue round each tooth. Also
measured is whether teeth are moveable
to slight pressure.
This information and the details
found on an X-ray can help determine the
level of infection and the risk of future
tooth loss. When gum tissues are healthy,
probing generally does not hurt.
All cavities and gum disease are pre
ventable, even if you have your parents’
genes. Your home care can make a huge
difference, whether that care is thorough
or poorly done.
The professional dental staff at the
Siletz Community Health Clinic is look
ing forward to helping you have healthy
teeth, gums and overall good body health.
Call at 541-444-1030 or 800-648-0449
to schedule an appointment with Drs.
Saxton and Winkle or a cleaning with me,
the hygienist.
Have questions? E-mail me at
maryellenv@ctsi.nsn.us.
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Potlatch Fund seeks executive director for community-based leadership
Potlatch Fund is a Native-led leader
ship development and operating founda
tion based in Seattle, Wash. Its mission
is to inspire the Native tradition of giving
and to expand philanthropy to Northwest
Indian Country. In particular, Potlatch
Fund focuses on Native communities
operating within Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and Montana.
Potlatch Fund is seeking a dynamic
executive director to maintain its high
standard of community-based leader-
ship and guide it to an even more
vigorous future. The ideal
candidate for this position
will have significant expe
rience with and knowledge
of Indian Country.
A successful candidate
will have a proven track
record of strategic planning,
fund-raising and the vision needed
to cultivate a growing base of
diverse local volunteers as
well as inspiring staff and
community leaders in sup
port of Potlatch Fund’s
mission.
Interested candidates
should submit a letter of
application outlining skills/
background, a rdsumd and
letters of reference to Executive Direc
tor Position, Potlatch Fund, 801 Second
Ave., Suite 304, Seattle, WA 98104. Tele
phone enquiries can be placed to current
Executive Director Ken Gordon at 206-
624-6076 or Board President Kirby Jock
at 253-926-0276.
This position will be open until
filled. More details are available at www.
potlatchfund.org.
February 2011
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Siletz News
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