“Why does plaque develop so quickly?”

Plaque can be brushed off and should be...it takes 24 hrs for plaque to form...once it becomes calculus only your hygienist or dentist can remove it.  Your diet might be the reason it develops so quickly.

Plaque is the term for that sticky film which forms on teeth and is produced by bacteria living in your mouth.  It can be removed with your toothbrush and floss.The bacteria start to re-form plaque within 12-24 hours.  Faster if you feed thosebacteria what they like most--sugar.  Tartar (dental calculus) is the hard, yellow-white mineral deposit that forms on teethand does not scrape off with your toothbrush.  That's what the dental hygienist scrapesoff with those metal instruments at your regular cleaning visits. Tartar takes about a week or so to beginreforming.  It forms faster if plaque is left behind on the teeth when you don't brush and floss properly.Some people however do build up the tartar more rapidly because they secrete more minerals in their saliva.If you're doing a good job with brushing and flossing and still form a lot of tartar, try a tartar control toothpaste andmouth rinse to at least slow down the buildup and make those dental cleanings go easier.

This might surprise you, but plaque forms every day, whether you eat or not. Plaque has to be removed daily. All of us have to floss correctly daily and brush correctly daily to remove the plaque from your gum line and below the gum line. And you have to brush correctly daily. Plaque is a sticky mass of bacteria, food particles, dead and living bacteria, bacteria toxins, and toxic waste. Plaque hardens every 24 to 48 hours. In our saliva, we also have calcium that hardens. You have plaque forming every day, small food particles that are rotting, dead bacteria, living bacteria, fighting cells your body sends to fight the bacteria. You have a matrix of hardened calcium that you may know as tartar, plaque penetrates the tartar and gets close to your teeth. The bacteria in plaque releases acids that attack the enamel surface of your teeth. Those white areas you see on teeth can become cavities. If you don't floss and brush correctly on a daily basis, plaque hardens. This hardened plaque irritates your gum line tissue. You may have bleeding gums, swollen tissues. At this time you may want to stop flossing or brushing. You must keep flossing and brushing correctly. If you see your dentist, he may clean your teeth to remove the hardened plaque at the gum line and hopefully show you how to floss and brush. You have a two to three millimetres of ATTACHED GINGIVA. Every time you have a swollen gum situation your ATTACHED GINGIVA is wearing away. Your ATTACHED GINGIVA prevents food from going down to the root area of your teeth. Patients who never floss correctly daily and brush correctly daily for several years may be experiencing a more serious problem, PERIODONTITIS. At this point, the bone and supporting tissues may be involved. Bacteria is eating away the supporting bone and tissues surrounding your teeth. The patient may not be experiencing any pain, bad taste, or loose teeth. There is a large portion of the population that has serious gum problems. The sad part is that gum disease just doesn't effect your gums. Your whole body may be infected. Gum disease can spread through out your entire body through your blood vessels. Your organs may also be involved. Your blood vessels also pass through your body's organs and can affect them. You can see how important flossing and brushing correctly is so important. You eat every day and flossing correctly and brushing correctly is a small job. You are protecting your present health as well as your future health.

Plaque develops due to dental bacteria, and some people will have more than others. Good oral hygiene, brushing and flossing will help and you may need a cleaning more frequently.

Possible reasons are: ineffective oral hygiene habits, diet, insufficient salivary flow (dry mouth).