It is great teeth you have! They help you in chewing your favourite food, and they also provide you with a beautiful smile. They can live with you throughout your entire life if you take good care of them. However, they sometimes encounter a little enemy named tartar who relishes accumulating and getting naughty. I am one of the dentists who observe the problem of tartar every day.
Tartar may seem intimidating, though it is very common and easily manageable. The great thing is that as soon as you learn how to deal with tartar and what it is, you will be able to keep your teeth clean and healthy. As technology has provided modern science with surprisingly useful tools in the field of health examination, including a wide variety of advanced dental tools, we can now remove tartar with certainty, with little to no pain, and with a great level of efficiency, almost always accompanied by the additional process of teeth whitening.
What is tartar, and how does it occur?
The simplest possible way to tartar. Suppose your teeth were a clean kitchen counter. There are bits of food and bacteria on this counter all through the day, and these are attached to the counter just like crumbs are attached to your kitchen counter. This tacky film is referred to as a plaque. Then, when the plaque is left in the same state on your tooth, not having been removed, it dries and becomes crystallised into tartar.
Tartar is a form of hardened bacteria that has accumulated on the teeth, like plaque. It tends to come out in a yellow, brown, or even black form, mostly around your gum line. It occurs rather quickly as well, within 24 to 72 hours, plaque may convert to tartar if not brushed and flossed.
This is one thing that makes tartar form quickly:
- Failing to brush teeth daily for two times
- Skipping flossing
- Consumption of large amounts of sugary or starchy foods
- Taking coffee, tea or soda on a regular basis
- The use of tobacco products/smoking
What is tricky, though, about tartar is that once it forms, it develops a rough surface, which causes even more plaque and bacteria to accumulate on it.
Can Tartar be removed at home with the help of brushing or home hacks?
It is the most common question patients usually ask, and I understand why people are eager to repair it themselves. Once the plaque turns into tartar, it cannot be eliminated through brushing and flossing alone.
Well, you can hardly use a regular toothbrush to remove hardened tartar. Various home remedies are available on the internet, such as using baking soda or vinegar, or even trying to scrape it off yourself. Don’t attempt these tactics! Here’s why:
- They can burn down your tooth enamel forever
- You may damage your gum, and your gum may bleed
- One of them was that you would force bacteria more into your gums
- There are ways of increasing the sensitivity of your teeth
Having developed tartar, you should resort to the services of professionals, as it is risky to remove such a substance yourself.
What is the health danger of leaving tartar untreated?
- Gum Disease: Tartar is a primary cause of gum irritation, resulting in red, swollen gums that are susceptible to bleeding.
- Bad Breath: Bacteria in tartar produce foul-smelling compounds, leading to chronic bad breath. This cannot be resolved by mouthwash even in the slightest.
- Tooth Decay: Tartar provides space for the bacteria which produce acid that eats the enamel of your teeth at the roots and leads to cavity development.
- Loss of Teeth: As often as not, the untreated tartar will cause gum disease to an extent that your teeth loosen and fall out.
- General Health Issues: It has been found that tartar that builds up, leading to gum disease, is associated with heart disease, diabetes complications, and other severe health problems.
These issues arise gradually and without pain initially, so you may not realise them until it is too late. When dentists perform their professional tartar removal services, they usually include the process of teeth whitening to maintain your bright smile after the cleaning service is finished.
How Can I Tell If I Have Tartar Buildup?
Identifying tartar when it is still small is a bit like detective work on your mouth! And these are obvious symptoms of the intrusion of tartar and its comfortable settling down on your teeth:
- Visual Signs:
Brownish, dark or yellow stains around your gum line
- Physical Signs:
When you brush or floss your gums, they bleed
- Severe Signs:
Your teeth are loosening due to the edge of your gums, which are coming loose and pulling away from the teeth.
It is not to wait until you develop advanced symptoms. As soon as you notice one of the early visual signs or physical symptoms, it’s time to visit a dental specialist for a cleaning.
What Can I Do To Avoid Tartar?
The most appropriate approach to tartar is prevention! Just imagine it’s like taking care of your car – a good check-up prevents any large-scale breakdown of the vehicle and ensures that everything goes smoothly.
And here is your plain day-to-day schedule to avoid tartar:
- Morning routine/ Night routine:
- Wash your teeth with fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes
- Apply a soft-bristle toothbrush
- Use floss to clean every tooth, including the difficult ones
- Wash off with an antibacterial mouth spray
- Reduce sweet and starchy diets
- Consult a professional Care
- Lifestyle Changes like quitting smoking and drinking
Where can I go to Remove Tartar?
By the time you are prepared to have the professional take off that tartar officially, you have several good choices. And the most important thing is to select a place where you feel comfortable and confident that you will receive proper care.
Dental clinics, such as LiT Dental, offer regular dental cleanings performed by your dentist or dental hygienist. These professional cleanings efficiently scrape off tartar without causing harm. They have special instruments with split scalers that can dig and scrape even the hardest-to-break-down tartar. There are preventive dental practices that also specialise in cleaning services and utilise the latest technology.
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Conclusion
It’s all about acting early, not late. The longer you delay cleaning, the more challenging the cleaning process will be. Now, the good news is that it can still be removed painlessly by the dentist, and your teeth can be restored to their previous state of being clean and sound.
We understand that cleaning tartar can be a stressful process, but at LiT Dental, we strive to make it as stress-free and easy as possible. Similarly, modern medicine finds ways to simplify the otherwise complex processes. Our high-tech dental equipment enables us to find an effective and comfortable way to carry out the procedure of tartar removal, allowing for fast, painless, and dramatic results. We can also provide a comprehensive tooth whitening service to help you achieve the bright, confident smile you’ve always desired.
