There's a big difference.

Plaque is a sticky substance that's constantly growing on your teeth. It's made up of bacteria and the toxins they release each time you eat. These toxins are very acidic, so they're hard on the enamel of your teeth. Plaque can be hard on gums as well -- causing tenderness, swelling, and bleeding.

The good news is you can do something about plaque. It's easy to remove plaque and reduce toxins by brushing after each meal or snack. Flossing or using interdental cleaners in places

between teeth, where it's hard to brush, can eliminate even more dangerous plaque.

Then there's tartar. Tartar is unremoved plaque that has built up and hardened on and between teeth, generally at or below the gumline. Only a professional cleaning with special dental instruments can effectively remove tartar from your teeth.

Remember that the more plaque you remove from your teeth, the less tartar will have to be removed at our office.

It's not just your favorite foods that make your mouth water. Anytime you start to think about eating, the glands located in your mouth will begin to secrete saliva. What this means is that your body knows you'll be eating soon, so it's preparing to digest your next meal.

As with many body functions, this begins in the nervous system. Whenever your nerves sense that you might be eating soon, a number of responses are set in motion. The saliva in your mouth contains special enzymes and antibodies which help digest starches and act against any germs that may be ingested with your food.

Your stomach secretes digestive enzymes along with hormones that aid in absorption of vitamins and minerals.

By the time you start eating, your body is prepared for the digestive process to begin. Your senses of taste and small also play a crucial role in this process. Lab experiments with volunteers showed that digestive trouble resulted when subjects were fed through a stomach tube and could neither taste nor smell their food.

How do your teeth benefit from all this activity? The excess saliva in your mouth not only washes away food particles left on your teeth, it also contains acid-neutralizing chemicals to reduce decay-causing acids released by bacteria found in plaque.

The next time you reach for a fresh piece of fruit, savor the aroma, and remember that your body is preparing to extract all the good nutrients from the fruit even before you take your first bite.

A toothache can be a signal of decay or some other problem in your tooth, but it can also be a sign that something's wrong elsewhere in your body. This is because pain can radiate along a nerve and be felt in places other than where the problem is located.

Toothache pain can be an indication that there's something wrong in your head or even in your heart. For instance, heart spasm pain can be felt in the shoulder, throat, neck, face, and even ears. More than ten percent of the time this pain projects to the jaw.

Other possible causes of pain in your teeth include arthritis, diabetes, and some hernias. Common colds and sinus infections are among the less serious ailments that can

result in facial pain and toothaches. Most types of headaches can manifest themselves in your teeth as well.

That does not mean that if you have a cold you should write off your toothache as just another symptom. On the contrary, tooth pain should be treated promptly. If the source of the ache isn't immediately obvious, further investigation may be necessary to diagnose the real cause of the problem.