Once tartar has formed on your teeth, you cannot safely remove it at home. Tartar (also called calculus) is mineralized plaque that has hardened with calcium and phosphorus deposits, bonding tightly to your tooth surface. No amount of brushing or scraping with consumer tools will fully remove it without risking damage to your teeth and gums. Professional cleaning is the only reliable way to get rid of it. That said, there’s a lot you can do to prevent tartar from forming in the first place and to keep it from coming back after a cleaning.
Why Tartar Can’t Be Brushed Away
Tartar starts as soft, sticky plaque, a film of bacteria that builds up on your teeth throughout the day. Certain bacteria in plaque break down urea from your saliva, producing ammonia that raises the pH in your mouth. This shift makes calcium and phosphorus less soluble, so they crystallize directly into the plaque and harden it into a rock-like deposit. Once that mineralization happens, the material is physically bonded to your enamel. A toothbrush, even a good one, simply can’t break that bond.
This is why timing matters so much. The window to remove plaque before it hardens is relatively short. Brushing twice a day and flossing daily catches plaque while it’s still soft and removable. Miss those windows consistently, and you’re giving bacteria the chance to trigger that mineral buildup.
What Happens During Professional Removal
A standard dental cleaning removes tartar from above the gumline using hand-held metal scalers or ultrasonic instruments that vibrate at high frequency to break the calculus free. The sharp, precise tips of these tools are designed to get under and around hardened deposits without gouging your enamel. A routine cleaning like this averages around $104 in the United States, though some practices charge up to $200.
If tartar has already spread below the gumline, you may need a deeper procedure called scaling and root planing. This goes further, cleaning the tooth roots themselves and smoothing their surfaces so bacteria have less to cling to. Deep cleanings typically cost $150 to $300 per session, sometimes more, and may require multiple visits depending on how far the buildup extends.
Why DIY Scraping Is a Bad Idea
You can buy dental scalers online, and it’s tempting to think you can handle this yourself. Dental professionals strongly advise against it. These are sharp metal instruments that require training to use safely. Without that training, you risk scratching your enamel (which increases sensitivity), cutting your gum tissue (which can lead to gum recession), and injuring your cheeks or tongue.
Perhaps the most serious risk is accidentally pushing tartar beneath the gumline rather than removing it. This can trap bacteria in pockets between your teeth and gums, potentially causing infections or gum abscesses. Professional hygienists spend years learning how to angle and apply pressure with these tools. It’s not a skill you can pick up from a YouTube video.
What Untreated Tartar Does Over Time
Tartar isn’t just a cosmetic problem. When it builds up along and below the gumline, it creates a rough surface where bacteria thrive and multiply. This triggers gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums that causes redness, swelling, and bleeding when you brush.
Left untreated, gingivitis progresses. The pockets between your teeth and gums deepen, sometimes exceeding a centimeter. Bacteria colonize these deeper pockets where no toothbrush can reach, and more tartar forms along the tooth roots. At this stage, the inflammation begins attacking the soft tissue and bone that hold your teeth in place. This is periodontitis, and in advanced cases, it breaks down the jawbone itself, loosening teeth permanently. The progression from tartar buildup to bone loss isn’t inevitable, but it’s a well-documented path that professional cleanings are specifically designed to interrupt.
How to Prevent Tartar From Forming
Since you can’t remove tartar at home, prevention is where your effort pays off. The basics are straightforward: brush twice daily for two minutes and floss once a day. The goal is to disrupt plaque before bacteria can mineralize it.
An electric toothbrush gives you a measurable edge. In one clinical study, plaque scores after six weeks of use were roughly half those of manual toothbrush users (20.5 versus 43.8), a statistically significant difference. Oscillating-rotating heads are particularly effective because they clean surfaces that manual bristles tend to miss.
Tartar-control toothpastes contain ingredients like pyrophosphates that interfere with mineral crystallization in plaque. They won’t remove existing tartar, but they slow the formation of new deposits between cleanings. Look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance on any toothpaste you choose.
Diet and Tartar Buildup
What you eat can influence how quickly plaque hardens. Lab research has shown that starchy carbohydrates and certain plant oils accelerate the transformation of calcium phosphate into the crystalline form found in tartar. Protein-rich foods like fish and soy, on the other hand, slow that transformation. This doesn’t mean a high-protein diet will prevent tartar entirely, but it’s worth noting that a diet heavy in refined starches may contribute to faster buildup, giving you one more reason to manage your carbohydrate intake.
How Often to Get Professional Cleanings
The old “every six months” rule is a reasonable starting point, but there’s no universal consensus on the ideal interval. The American Dental Association notes that the evidence supports tailoring your cleaning schedule to your individual risk. If you’re prone to heavy tartar buildup, have a history of gum disease, or smoke, your dentist may recommend cleanings every three to four months. If your oral health is strong and tartar accumulation is minimal, you may be fine stretching to once a year. The key is having an honest conversation with your dentist about what your mouth actually needs rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all schedule.