You’re basically buying a metal toothpick. They look similar to the scalers that your hygienist uses in the dentist’s office, but they’re not the same thing. No matter what DIY tartar removal kit you see advertised online or in the drugstore (yes, they sell them there) resist the temptation to buy one. How To Remove Tartar At Home?ĭo NOT attempt to remove tartar or dental calculus on your own at home. All that is, is tartar that’s stuck to them. Your X-rays may look like the teeth have small spurs coming out on either side. Subgingival tartar - that’s the buildup below your gums - is something your hygienist will screen for with a special instrument or by using dental X-rays. At times it can form a smooth “shelf” that totally covers the backs of your bottom front teeth. You may not even be able to work floss down into those areas if the tartar is really heavy. Typically, the dental calculus will be just next to the gum line or right between your teeth. Look carefully between your bottom front teeth or use a mirror to see just behind them. Tartar is most visible when it’s dry (which is why your dentist or hygienist is sometimes blowing air on your teeth) as opposed to saliva-saturated. Plaque and tartar tend to be heaviest alongside our major saliva glands there’s one in the floor of your mouth in front of your tongue and then a pair on the outside of your upper back molars, next to your cheeks. Usually, if it is, it’s going to be on your lower front teeth. Sometimes this can be due to a lack of hygiene but other times it’s because of the types of bacteria that are present. Usually, if it’s above the gums it’s lighter in color but below the gums, it’s darker. Tartar on teeth can look yellow, brown, or black. By semi-permanently I mean that you cannot clean it off on your own, but your dentist or hygienist will know how to remove tartar with special instruments. Tartar is a gradual accumulation of calcified plaque that is semi-permanently fused to the tooth. If you wipe a little off with your fingernail, it will have a slimy or sticky texture. And if it’s not removed thoroughly, it only takes about 24 hours for the plaque to start calcifying into tartar.Įven though plaque is usually white, it can also take on other colors depending on the food you’re eating and how long it’s been on your teeth. That’s why we in dentistry stress brushing and flossing so often because plaque is toxic to teeth and gums. What is dental plaque exactly? Bacterial byproducts. When you have plaque, teeth have a filmy-looking white residue that can easily be wiped away. While dental plaque-induced gingivitis is reversible with improved home care after a couple of weeks, tartar buildup is more of a “permanent” problem unless you have it professionally removed by your dental provider. Plaque and tartar can lead to a cyclic infection that ultimately results in gum disease, tooth mobility, and loss. Long story short, the presence of tartar on your tooth roots will cause the adjacent gums to start detaching from your teeth - creating deep pockets - which in turn then erode the bone structure immediately next to it. When that happens (and you’re not sure how to remove tartar) you see periodontal disease start to kick in. Typically, tartar is heaviest along the gumlines, but then it slowly starts to accumulate under your gums as well. Instead, the rock-like buildup harbors more bacteria in your mouth and compounds the oral infection. The only difference is that with dental calculus, you can’t brush it off your teeth. It’s no different when it comes to tartar. Whenever you’re talking about dental plaque, teeth and gums are extremely sensitive to the bacterial-loaded biofilm. How Plaque and Tartar Affect Teeth And Gums Figuring out how to remove tartar can be challenging since the calcified deposits are next to your delicate gum tissues or even as far down as the roots of your teeth. While you can easily brush away plaque, teeth with tartar on them aren’t something you can clean at home. In a nutshell, all tartar is, is calcified plaque (teeth biofilm) that isn’t cleaned off regularly enough and starts to calcify. Tartar - or dental calculus as we refer to it in private practice - is a hard, cement-like buildup that forms on the surface of teeth.
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