Tooth tartar is hardened dental plaque. When the soft, sticky film of bacteria on your teeth isn’t removed by brushing, minerals in your saliva crystallize it into a rigid deposit that bonds to the tooth surface. Once formed, tartar can’t be brushed or flossed away. It requires professional removal at a dental office.
Tartar is roughly 77% mineral by weight, primarily calcium and phosphorus, with the same crystalline structures found in bone. The remaining portion is a mix of bacteria, proteins, and other organic material. This combination makes tartar both remarkably hard and biologically active, providing a rough surface where more bacteria can thrive.
How Tartar Forms
The process starts with plaque, the colorless bacterial film that naturally develops on your teeth throughout the day. When plaque sits undisturbed, minerals from your saliva begin to deposit into it. This mineralization can begin in as little as four to eight hours, though on average it takes 10 to 12 days for plaque to fully harden into calculus (the clinical term for tartar).
Tartar tends to build up fastest in areas near your salivary glands, since saliva supplies the minerals that drive the hardening process. The most common spots are the inside surfaces of your lower front teeth and the outer surfaces of your upper back molars. If you’ve ever noticed a stubborn yellowish or brownish buildup in those areas, that’s likely tartar.
Two Types Based on Location
Tartar that forms above the gumline is called supragingival calculus. It’s the kind you can see, typically appearing as a white or yellowish crust along the edges of your teeth near the gums. Because it’s visible and accessible, it’s the easier type for your dentist or hygienist to detect and remove.
Tartar that forms below the gumline, inside the small pocket between your tooth and gum tissue, is called subgingival calculus. This type tends to be darker in color, often brown or black, because it incorporates blood products from inflamed gum tissue. It’s also more concerning. Subgingival tartar has higher concentrations of certain minerals, including magnesium and fluoride, and sits in direct contact with the structures that support your teeth. Its hidden location makes it harder to detect and more difficult to remove.
Why Tartar Damages Your Gums and Teeth
Tartar itself isn’t just an aesthetic problem. Its rough, porous surface acts as a scaffold for bacterial colonies to anchor and multiply. As these bacteria accumulate, they trigger an immune response in your gum tissue. Your body sends white blood cells to fight the infection, and in the process, these immune cells release substances that break down the surrounding tissue.
In the early stage, this shows up as gingivitis: red, swollen, bleeding gums. If the bacterial buildup continues unchecked, the inflammation deepens. Immune cells begin producing signals that activate bone-destroying cells, which gradually dissolve the bone supporting your teeth. This progression from surface-level gum inflammation to deeper bone loss is the hallmark of periodontitis, a serious form of gum disease that can eventually lead to tooth loosening and loss.
Certain bacteria that thrive on tartar, particularly a species called P. gingivalis, have developed ways to evade your immune defenses. They can suppress the body’s ability to kill them while simultaneously ramping up inflammation, creating a cycle where the immune response causes more tissue damage without effectively clearing the infection.
Links to Broader Health Problems
The inflammation caused by tartar-driven gum disease doesn’t stay confined to your mouth. Research published in the British Dental Journal highlights how periodontal disease contributes to elevated levels of inflammatory markers throughout the body, including C-reactive protein and fibrinogen. These markers are associated with cardiovascular conditions like atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries) and hypertension.
The connection with diabetes runs in both directions. Chronic gum inflammation can worsen blood sugar control, while poorly managed diabetes increases susceptibility to gum disease. The shared thread is systemic inflammation, with the mouth serving as a persistent source of immune activation that affects metabolic health.
How Dentists Remove Tartar
Professional removal is a procedure called scaling. Your dental hygienist uses one of two main approaches, often combining both in a single visit. Manual scaling involves specially shaped metal instruments called curettes and scalers, which are designed to fit the contours of different tooth surfaces. The hygienist uses these to physically scrape tartar from the tooth.
Ultrasonic scaling uses a device that vibrates at high frequencies to break tartar apart while spraying water to flush away debris. It’s generally faster for heavy buildup and can reach into tight spaces around the gumline. For tartar below the gumline, the procedure may also include root planing, where the root surface is smoothed to remove embedded bacterial deposits and discourage future buildup. Deeper cleanings are typically done under local anesthesia to keep you comfortable.
How often you need professional cleaning depends on how quickly you accumulate tartar and whether you have gum disease. For most people, every six months is standard, but your dentist may recommend more frequent visits if you’re prone to heavy buildup.
Why You Shouldn’t Scrape Tartar at Home
Dental scalers marketed for home use are widely available online, but using them yourself carries real risks. Without training, it’s easy to gouge your enamel, creating scratches that increase tooth sensitivity and give bacteria new places to colonize. You can also cut or tear gum tissue, leading to pain, recession, and exposure of sensitive tooth roots.
Perhaps the biggest danger is accidentally pushing tartar beneath the gumline. This can trap bacteria in the pocket between your tooth and gum, potentially causing an abscess or accelerating the progression of gum disease. Professional dental instruments look simple, but using them safely requires an understanding of tooth anatomy and a trained hand.
Preventing Tartar Buildup
Since tartar is mineralized plaque, the goal is to remove plaque before it hardens. Brushing twice a day and flossing daily are the most effective defenses. Pay extra attention to the areas where tartar accumulates fastest: the inside of your lower front teeth and the outside of your upper molars.
Tartar-control toothpastes contain ingredients called pyrophosphates, which are chelating agents that bind to calcium in your saliva and inhibit the crystal growth that turns plaque into tartar. They won’t remove tartar that’s already formed, but they can meaningfully slow new buildup between dental visits. Electric toothbrushes can also help by providing more consistent plaque removal than manual brushing, especially in hard-to-reach spots.
Diet plays a role too. Sugary and starchy foods feed the bacteria in plaque, accelerating its growth. Staying hydrated helps maintain saliva flow, which, while it does supply the minerals that form tartar, also contains antibacterial enzymes that help keep bacterial populations in check. The balance tips toward tartar when plaque is allowed to sit undisturbed, so consistent daily cleaning remains the most important factor.