Tartar removal

What is tartar and how does it form?

When eating, a thin layer of plaque is formed on our teeth, which gets hardened with precipitation of the minerals from saliva as time goes by. The plaque becomes a kind of calculus, that is what we call tartar. Its colour is usually yellowish or brownish.

How can tartar be formed?

It can be formed relatively quickly outside the gums, specially at the dental necks and also at places that can be reached to clean with the tooth-brush with difficulty (eg. in case of crowded teeth). In these cases tartar sticks to the teeth with less strength.
While tartar under the gumline forms slower and sticks to the teeth more stiffly.

What are the consequences of having tartar?

The key for a beautiful smile is oral hygiene. .

Unfortunately tartar can be easily noticed therefore it is really disturbing in an aesthetic point of view,  not to forget about the unpleasant smell of the breath it can cause.

Tartar provides an excellent surface for bacteria, which can result in decay of the teeth and inflammation of the gums. In this latter case the gums get swollen, their colour turns red and they start to bleed.

If the inflamed gums are not treated in time, they start to decline, move off from the teeth where they should cover them and this process can cause loosen-teeth, which after some time cannot be saved any more.

How can tartar be removed?

There are suggestions on internet how to remove tartar at home. These are kind of home made techniques. In reality they are not really effective and they can bring the risk to damage the enamel or the gums.

Therefore it is not a good idea to make experiments at home. The only solution is to turn to a specialist as soon as we can to have the tartar removed from our teeth.The treatment is done with an ultrasound device called depurator by the dentist. The procedure is usually painless and does not damage the enamel.

After the removal of the tartar,  the surface of the teeth remains rough so the dentist will polish the teeth, which will make the surface smooth like a mirror and this surface will prevent tartar to form quickly again.

What are the advantages of polishing?

Polishing makes not only the surface of the teeth smoother but also removes discolourations caused by coffee and tea or smoking. Therefore after polishing the colour of our teeth may look lighter. 

How often should we have tartar removed from our teeth?

It is individually different how quickly tartar gets formed. There are people having tartar really quickly and others have them only after a longer period of time.

Usually it is suggested to have a regular check-up and if necessary have tartar removed by a specialist after each half a year.