Tartar is hardened dental plaque. When the soft, sticky film of bacteria on your teeth isn’t removed by brushing and flossing, minerals in your saliva crystallize it into a rough, cement-like deposit that bonds to tooth surfaces. Once formed, tartar can’t be brushed off at home. It requires professional removal by a dentist or hygienist.
How Tartar Forms
It starts with plaque, a colorless biofilm that naturally develops on your teeth throughout the day. Plaque is mostly bacteria, along with food particles and proteins from saliva. If plaque sits undisturbed, minerals like calcium and phosphorus from your saliva begin to infiltrate and harden it. This process can begin in as little as four to eight hours, though full mineralization typically takes 10 to 12 days.
The end result is roughly 77% mineral by weight. The main components are calcium (about 34%) and phosphorus (about 19%), organized into crystal structures similar to those found in bone. Because tartar is porous, it continues to absorb bacteria and toxic byproducts even after it hardens, which is a big part of why it causes so much trouble for your gums.
Where It Shows Up
Tartar forms in two distinct locations, and they look and behave differently.
Above the gumline (supragingival): This is the type you can see. It tends to appear as yellowish or brownish deposits, most commonly on the inside surfaces of your lower front teeth and the outer surfaces of your upper molars. These spots are closest to your salivary glands, which supply the minerals that drive calcification.
Below the gumline (subgingival): This type is hidden beneath the gum tissue, making it invisible during a casual glance in the mirror. It tends to be darker, sometimes brown or black, because it picks up pigments from blood in inflamed gum tissue. Subgingival tartar is the more damaging of the two. Its rough surface creates an ideal environment for bacterial colonies to thrive right next to delicate gum tissue, and anti-tartar toothpastes have little effect on it since they can’t reach below the gumline.
Why Tartar Causes Gum Disease
Tartar itself isn’t just a cosmetic problem. Its rough, porous surface acts as a scaffold for bacteria, holding them firmly against your gums where brushing can’t dislodge them. Over time, the bacteria trigger chronic inflammation in the surrounding gum tissue.
As inflammation persists, small pockets form between your teeth and gums. Bacteria and food debris get trapped in these pockets, often causing persistent bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth. Left untreated, those pockets deepen, gum tissue pulls away from the teeth, and the infection can eventually reach the bone that supports your teeth. This progression, from early gum inflammation (gingivitis) to full periodontal disease, is the primary reason tartar removal matters so much.
Why You Can’t Remove It at Home
Tartar bonds tightly to enamel and root surfaces. No amount of brushing or flossing will break that bond. Dental scalers, the sharp metal tools professionals use, are available for purchase online, but using them without training carries real risks. You can scratch your enamel, cut into gum tissue, or accidentally push tartar fragments beneath the gumline, which can trigger gum abscesses. Damage to gum tissue isn’t just painful in the moment. It can cause permanent gum recession, exposing the sensitive root surfaces of your teeth.
How Dentists Remove It
Professional tartar removal is called scaling. For tartar above and just below the gumline, your dentist or hygienist uses one of two approaches, often in combination. Hand instruments like curettes and scalers physically scrape deposits from the tooth surface. Ultrasonic instruments vibrate at high frequencies to break tartar apart, with a water spray that flushes away the debris. Most clinicians prefer ultrasonic tools for reaching beneath the gumline because they’re effective in tight spaces and generally more comfortable for the patient.
When tartar has accumulated significantly below the gumline, a deeper procedure called root planing smooths the root surfaces after scaling. This removes embedded deposits and creates a clean surface that helps gum tissue reattach to the tooth. For most people, a standard cleaning every six months keeps tartar manageable. If you’re prone to heavy buildup, your dentist may recommend more frequent visits.
Preventing Buildup
Since tartar is mineralized plaque, prevention comes down to removing plaque before it hardens. Brushing twice a day and flossing daily are the foundation. The areas behind your lower front teeth and along the outer surfaces of your upper back teeth deserve extra attention, since they accumulate tartar fastest.
Tartar-control toothpastes offer an additional layer of defense. They contain ingredients that slow or block the crystallization process. Zinc salts interfere with crystal formation and have been shown in clinical trials to significantly reduce tartar compared to regular toothpaste. Pyrophosphates work by directly inhibiting mineralization. One ingredient, sodium hexametaphosphate, has demonstrated tartar reduction as high as 55% compared to standard toothpaste. These products are most effective against buildup above the gumline, so they complement professional cleanings rather than replacing them.
Electric toothbrushes with a two-minute timer can help ensure thorough plaque removal. Water flossers are useful for flushing bacteria from areas where tartar tends to start. Some people are simply more prone to tartar than others due to differences in saliva composition, pH levels, and how quickly their particular oral bacteria produce the matrix that traps minerals. If you notice hard deposits forming quickly despite consistent brushing, shorter intervals between dental cleanings are the most effective countermeasure.