Once tartar has formed on your teeth, you cannot safely remove it yourself. Tartar (also called calculus) is mineralized plaque that bonds to tooth enamel so firmly that only professional dental instruments can take it off without causing damage. The good news: preventing tartar in the first place is straightforward, and professional removal is quick and effective.
Why Tartar Can’t Be Removed at Home
Tartar starts as soft, sticky plaque, the film of bacteria that naturally builds up on your teeth throughout the day. If plaque isn’t brushed or flossed away, it absorbs minerals from your saliva and hardens into tartar in roughly two weeks. Once that mineralization happens, the substance is too hard and too tightly bonded to enamel for a toothbrush, baking soda, vinegar, or any other household remedy to dislodge.
Baking soda can help remove soft plaque before it hardens. It’s mildly abrasive but gentler than enamel, so brushing with a baking soda toothpaste is a reasonable plaque-prevention step. But it won’t dissolve or scrape off existing tartar. No over-the-counter product will.
You may have seen metal dental scalers sold online for home use. Using one on yourself carries real risks: you can scratch your enamel (leading to sensitivity), tear delicate gum tissue (which can cause gum recession), or accidentally push tartar beneath the gumline, creating conditions for infection or gum abscesses. Dental hygienists train for years to use these tools safely. Without that training, you’re more likely to cause harm than improvement.
What Happens During Professional Removal
A professional cleaning is the only reliable way to remove tartar. During the procedure, your dentist or hygienist will numb your gums with a local anesthetic if needed, then use hand scalers or ultrasonic instruments to remove plaque and tartar from both above and below the gumline. If tartar has built up significantly below the gumline, they’ll also smooth (or “plane”) the tooth roots, which helps gums reattach to the tooth surface and makes it harder for bacteria to colonize again.
Ultrasonic scalers use vibrations and a water spray to break tartar apart, while hand scalers are traditional metal instruments the hygienist controls manually. Research comparing the two shows they’re equally effective at reducing pocket depth, bleeding, and plaque scores. The main difference is comfort: ultrasonic instruments tend to cause less pain and discomfort, especially when the water temperature can be adjusted. Many offices use a combination of both.
In some cases, your provider may also apply antibiotics around the tooth roots or prescribe oral antibiotics after the procedure to manage any bacterial infection in the gum tissue.
Why Removal Matters for Your Gums
Tartar above the gumline is mostly a cosmetic issue, that rough, yellowish-brown buildup along the base of your teeth. The more serious problem is tartar that forms below the gumline, where you can’t see it. This subgingival tartar creates a sheltered environment for bacteria to thrive right against your gum tissue and the bone that holds your teeth in place.
A two-year study of early gum disease in adolescents found that the presence of subgingival tartar was the single factor most strongly associated with subsequent loss of attachment, meaning the gum and bone literally pulling away from the tooth. Left unchecked, this process drives the progression of periodontal disease, which is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Removing tartar below the gumline interrupts that cycle.
How Often You Need a Cleaning
You’ve probably heard the advice to get your teeth cleaned every six months. In reality, there’s no one-size-fits-all schedule. A systematic review of the research found no consensus on a single optimal cleaning interval for minimizing cavities or gum disease risk. The current guidance from the American Dental Association supports tailoring your recall interval to your individual risk level.
If you build up tartar quickly, have early signs of gum disease, or have deep pockets between your teeth and gums, your dentist may recommend cleanings every three to four months. If your oral health is stable and you maintain good habits at home, once or twice a year may be sufficient. The key is having an honest conversation with your dentist about what your mouth actually needs rather than defaulting to a generic schedule.
Preventing Tartar From Forming
Since you can’t remove tartar yourself, prevention is where your daily effort pays off. The goal is simple: remove plaque before it has a chance to mineralize. That two-week window gives you plenty of time if you’re consistent.
- Brush twice daily for two minutes. Use a soft-bristled or electric toothbrush. Pay extra attention to the backs of your lower front teeth and the outer surfaces of your upper molars, where tartar tends to accumulate fastest because of nearby saliva glands.
- Floss once a day. Tartar frequently forms between teeth where bristles can’t reach. Floss, interdental brushes, or a water flosser all work. Pick whichever method you’ll actually use consistently.
- Use a tartar-control toothpaste. Toothpastes containing pyrophosphates or zinc citrate interfere with the mineralization process. Research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that these ingredients reduce new tartar formation by about 21 percent compared to regular toothpaste. They won’t remove existing tartar, but they slow the buildup between cleanings.
- Rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash. Mouthwashes with antibacterial agents reduce the overall bacterial load in your mouth, giving plaque less of a foothold.
Diet also plays a role. Sugary and starchy foods feed the bacteria in plaque, accelerating its growth. Smoking and tobacco use are strongly linked to faster tartar buildup and more severe gum disease. Cutting back on sugar and quitting tobacco won’t eliminate tartar on their own, but they meaningfully shift the odds in your favor.
What to Expect After a Deep Cleaning
If you’ve let tartar build up for a while, your first professional cleaning may involve scaling and root planing rather than a routine polish. This is sometimes called a “deep cleaning,” and it’s typically done in two visits, one side of the mouth at a time. Your gums may feel tender and slightly swollen for a few days afterward, and some sensitivity to hot and cold is normal as the roots are freshly exposed.
Most people notice their gums look pinker and bleed less within a week or two. The pockets between teeth and gums start to tighten as inflammation subsides. Your dentist will usually schedule a follow-up about four to six weeks later to measure those pockets and confirm healing is on track. From there, staying on top of daily brushing and flossing is what keeps you from ending up back at square one.