What's dental plaque made of?

By products: Plaque consists of food debris, bacteria, and dead cells that have become detached from the mucosa in the mouth.

Complex: Different makeup, in different people and in different parts of the mouth. There is healthy plaque, plaque that causes decay, and plaque that causes gum disease. It is more of a progression than a uniform composition of food, bacteria, proteins.

Food by products: Plaque is composed of the broken down products of food and saliva and the bacterial organisms in the mouth.

Bacterial excretions: Dental plaque is a sticky film which consists of the bacteria themselves along with sticky polysaccharides excreted by the bacteria.