How to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth

From the Teeth cleaning and scaling guide

You can remove plaque at home by brushing properly and cleaning between your teeth every day. You cannot safely remove tartar at home. Once plaque has hardened, it needs a professional clean with the right instruments.

What is the difference between plaque and tartar?

Plaque is the soft, sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teeth every day. It is pale and hard to see, and a toothbrush removes it.

Tartar, also called calculus, is plaque that has mineralised on to the tooth. It is yellow, brown or black, often sits along the gumline or behind the lower front teeth, and is roughly as hard as the tooth itself. Plaque can begin to harden within a day or two if it is left in place.

Can I deal with this at home?

Plaque: yes. This routine removes it and stops new tartar forming:

1. Brush for two minutes, twice a day. Use a soft brush held at 45 degrees to the gumline, with small circles rather than a scrubbing motion.
2. Use fluoride toothpaste. Spit afterwards and do not rinse, so the fluoride stays on your teeth.
3. Clean between your teeth daily. Brushing alone reaches only about 60% of the tooth surface. Use floss or interdental brushes.
4. Cut back on sugary snacks and drinks. Bacteria in plaque feed on sugar.
5. Consider a tartar-control toothpaste. It can slow new build-up, but it will not remove what is already there.

Tartar: no. No brush, baking soda or scraper bought online will shift hardened tartar without risking your enamel or gums.

Do home remedies work?

Be careful with popular remedies:

• Baking soda is abrasive. It may polish surface stains, but it will not dissolve tartar, and overuse can wear enamel.
• Vinegar and lemon juice are acids. They soften enamel and can cause permanent erosion.
• Metal scrapers and picks can cut your gums and scratch your teeth, which gives plaque more places to stick.
• Oil pulling does not remove tartar.

What happens if tartar is left?

Tartar irritates your gums and gives plaque a rough surface to cling to. That can lead to bleeding gums, gum disease and bad breath, and over time to bone loss around the teeth. At the early stage, gum disease is reversible with a professional clean and better brushing.

How do dentists remove tartar?

A dental professional uses scaling instruments to lift tartar from the teeth and just under the gumline, then polishes the surface so plaque has less to grip. Most visits take 30 to 60 minutes.

A professional clean at Arrow Dental starts from KES 6,000 and is generally covered under SHA for civil servants. Most people need one every six months, or every three to four months if they smoke, have gum disease or build up tartar quickly.