Once tartar has formed on your teeth, you cannot remove it at home. Tartar (also called calculus) is hardened plaque that bonds to tooth enamel so firmly that no amount of brushing, scraping, or rinsing will break it loose safely. A dental professional is the only person who can remove it without damaging your teeth. That said, there’s plenty you can do to prevent new tartar from forming and to keep existing buildup from getting worse before your appointment.
Why Home Removal Doesn’t Work
Plaque is soft and sticky, and you can brush it away every day. But when plaque sits on your teeth long enough, it absorbs calcium and phosphate minerals from your saliva and hardens into tartar. This calcified deposit is roughly 75% calcium phosphate, essentially a mineral crust cemented to the tooth surface. No toothbrush bristle or mouthwash can dissolve that bond.
You may have seen metal dental scrapers sold online for home use. Using one is a genuinely bad idea. These are specialized instruments that require training to handle safely. Without that training, you risk scratching your enamel, cutting into gum tissue (which can lead to gum recession and exposed roots), injuring your cheeks or tongue, and accidentally pushing tartar beneath the gumline, where it can cause abscesses or deeper infection. The tools look simple, but the margin for error is small.
What Happens at a Professional Cleaning
A standard dental cleaning removes tartar above the gumline using hand scalers or ultrasonic instruments that vibrate at high frequency to break calcified deposits free. For most people, this is a routine visit that takes 30 to 60 minutes, and it’s the single most effective thing you can do about existing tartar.
If tartar has already spread below the gumline, you may need a deeper procedure called scaling and root planing. Your dentist or hygienist will numb your gums with local anesthesia, then remove tartar from both above and below the gumline before smoothing the root surfaces of your teeth. Smoothing the roots helps gum tissue reattach and makes it harder for bacteria to colonize again. In some cases, antibiotics are placed around the tooth roots or prescribed afterward to control infection. The procedure is typically done in two visits, one side of the mouth at a time, with recovery taking a few days per session.
Most people benefit from a professional cleaning every six months. If you have a history of heavy tartar buildup or gum disease, your dentist may recommend every three to four months instead.
How to Prevent New Tartar From Forming
Tartar starts as plaque, and plaque forms within hours of eating. The goal is to disrupt it before it mineralizes, which typically takes 24 to 72 hours. That timeline is why daily brushing and flossing matter so much: miss a couple of days consistently and you’re giving plaque the window it needs to harden.
Brush twice a day for two full minutes each time, angling the bristles toward the gumline where plaque accumulates most. An electric toothbrush with a built-in timer tends to remove more plaque than manual brushing, though either works if your technique is thorough. Floss once a day to clear plaque from the tight spaces between teeth that bristles can’t reach. If traditional floss is difficult, interdental brushes or a water flosser are solid alternatives.
Look for toothpaste labeled “tartar control.” These contain pyrophosphates (usually tetrasodium pyrophosphate or calcium pyrophosphate) that work by blocking calcium phosphate from crystallizing on your teeth. They don’t remove tartar that’s already there, but they meaningfully slow the formation of new deposits. Some tartar-control formulas also include zinc citrate, which reduces bacterial activity in the mouth. An antiseptic or anti-plaque mouthwash can add another layer of protection, particularly in areas you tend to miss with a brush.
Where Tartar Builds Up Fastest
Tartar doesn’t form evenly across all your teeth. It tends to concentrate on the inside surfaces of your lower front teeth and the outside surfaces of your upper molars. These spots sit closest to your salivary glands, which means they’re constantly bathed in the mineral-rich saliva that accelerates calcification. Pay extra attention to these areas when brushing. If you notice a rough, yellowish or brownish deposit along the gumline that you can’t brush away, that’s tartar.
What Happens If You Ignore It
Tartar isn’t just a cosmetic problem. Its rough, porous surface gives bacteria a place to thrive right against your gums. The first stage of trouble is gingivitis: red, swollen gums that bleed when you brush. Gingivitis is reversible with professional cleaning and better home care.
Left untreated, bacteria in the tartar spread below the gumline and form what’s called a periodontal pocket, an abnormal deepening of the space between your tooth and gum tissue. Bacteria release toxins inside these pockets that intensify inflammation and begin destroying the bone and connective tissue holding your teeth in place. This is periodontitis, and it’s the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. The CDC identifies bone loss around the teeth as the defining feature of periodontitis, and once bone is lost, it doesn’t grow back on its own.
The progression from plaque to gingivitis to periodontitis isn’t inevitable. Regular cleanings and consistent daily hygiene interrupt the cycle at the earliest stage. If it’s been a while since your last cleaning and you can see or feel tartar on your teeth, scheduling an appointment is the only real first step. Everything else you do at home is prevention, not treatment.