What is tartar?
Tartar is an accumulation of mineral deposits and hardened plaque, the invisible substance that forms on everyone’s teeth daily. Studies have shown that plaque can become tartar within just 24 hours. That makes tartar, particularly below the gumline, an everyday problem that threatens the health of your smile. Tartar makes it harder to maintain good oral hygiene because its irregular surface makes cleaning more difficult. Over time, tartar can build-up to such a degree that it begins to form under the gumline. Should that occur, it can attract plaque to this highly vulnerable area, irritating the gums and even causing gum disease. What’s more, tartar is a cosmetic problem due to its brown or yellow color. And it absorbs stains very easily especially if you consume coffee or use tobacco. Once tartar has formed, only your dentist or hygienist can remove it. The process of removing tartar is called a prophylaxis (“prophy” for short). During a prophy, the dentist or hygienist uses a specia
Tartar is an accumulation of mineral deposits and hardened plaque, the invisible substance that forms on everyone’s teeth daily. Studies have shown that plaque can become tartar within just 24 hours. That makes tartar, particularly below the gumline, an everyday problem that threatens the health of your smile.
Tartar refers to mineral deposits on the teeth, both above and below the gums that have hardened. These deposits are easy to recognize since they tend to stain easily, and you may note places on the teeth with brown or yellow stains. These stains are usually not to the teeth themselves but to tartar, also called calculus, buildup. Tartar is distinct from plaque, which is caused by bacteria on the teeth, but both are usually present in the mouths of people who have poor oral hygiene. Tartar is usually broken into two classes, supragingival and subgingival. Supragingival refers to calculus deposits above the gum, and subgingival to tartar deposits below the gum. Once these deposits form, you can’t remove them yourself, and require a dental cleaning, usually with sharp scraping instruments to get rid of them. Getting rid of these calculus deposits is important, since they can lead to chronically inflamed gums and gum disease, receding gums, and persistent bad breath. Tartar also accelerat
