Tartar cannot be brushed off because it is no longer a soft deposit — it is plaque that has taken up minerals from saliva and crystallised onto the tooth surface, bonded to it rather than sitting on it. A toothbrush removes soft plaque well and hard calculus not at all. Removing tartar requires instruments designed to break that bond, which is what a professional clean is. Brushing prevents the next lot; it does not shift what is already there.
If you can feel rough deposits behind your lower front teeth, that is tartar, and it is worth having removed.
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What is tartar, exactly?
Tartar is the everyday word for dental calculus. It starts as plaque — a soft, sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth within hours of cleaning.
Saliva is rich in calcium and phosphate. Where plaque is left undisturbed, those minerals precipitate into it and it hardens, layer by layer, into a solid deposit that is chemically similar to the tooth it is stuck to. That similarity is exactly why it will not brush off.
Tartar is not the problem in itself. It is porous and rough, so it holds fresh plaque against the gum and makes the area impossible to clean properly. It is a scaffold for bacteria, in a place bacteria should not be given a scaffold.
How quickly does plaque turn into tartar?
Mineralisation begins within a day or two of plaque being left in place, and the deposit continues to harden over the following weeks.
The speed varies a great deal between people. Saliva composition, saliva flow, diet, smoking and how crowded the teeth are all change the rate. Some people form heavy calculus within weeks of a clean; others form very little in a year with similar brushing habits.
Why the inside of the lower front teeth is always the worst
Two of the major salivary gland ducts open directly beneath the tongue, immediately behind the lower front teeth. Those teeth are bathed in mineral-rich saliva all day, and they are also awkward to reach with a brush.
That combination is why almost everyone builds tartar there first, regardless of how carefully they brush elsewhere. The outside of the upper back molars, near the cheek gland openings, is the second usual site.
Why can't a toothbrush remove it?
A toothbrush works by disrupting a soft film. Tartar is a crystalline solid attached to the enamel or root surface with a mechanical interlock into the microscopic irregularities of that surface.
Bristles have neither the hardness nor the edge to break that bond. Brushing harder does not help; it removes gum tissue and enamel at the gum line long before it removes calculus. Electric brushes are effective at plaque control and equally unable to remove established tartar.
What about tartar-control toothpaste?
Tartar-control formulations contain agents such as pyrophosphates that slow the mineralisation of new plaque above the gum line. They can reduce how quickly fresh deposits form. They do not dissolve or remove deposits that already exist.
What about scraping it off at home?
Metal scalers sold online for home use are a poor idea, and worth being direct about. Working blind in your own mouth, it is easy to gouge the root surface, cut the gum, or push fragments of calculus deeper into the pocket where they cause more harm than they did on the surface.
The visible part usually comes off and the part below the gum — the part that actually drives gum disease — stays. The result is a mouth that looks cleaner and is not.
If you have been scraping at deposits yourself and the gum is now sore, have it checked rather than persevering.
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What does removing tartar actually involve?
Ultrasonic scaling
A fine metal tip vibrates at high frequency and fractures the calculus off the tooth, with a water spray cooling the tip and flushing debris away. Most of the bulk deposit comes off this way. The sensation is vibration and cold water rather than pressure.
Hand instruments
Curettes and scalers with fine working edges are used to remove what remains, particularly on root surfaces and in the spaces between teeth where an ultrasonic tip cannot be angled well. This is the slower, more precise half of the job.
Polishing
A rubber cup and a mildly abrasive paste smooth the surface afterwards and remove surface staining. A smoother surface gives new plaque less to hold onto.
Above the gum versus below it
This is the distinction that decides what kind of appointment you need.
Tartar above the gum line is visible, straightforward to reach, and dealt with in a routine clean. Tartar below the gum line sits on the root surface inside a periodontal pocket, cannot be seen directly, and has to be removed by feel with the pocket depths measured first. That is periodontal treatment, not a routine clean, and it takes considerably longer.
The difference between the two is set out in more detail in regular clean versus deep clean.
What does it cost?
At Berala Dental a check-up, X-rays and clean is $250. That fee takes in three intraoral X-rays, an OPG for new patients and thereafter every two to five years depending on bone loss and periodontal status, intraoral photos, the clean itself and a fluoride treatment, plus a periodontal chart where the clinician judges one is needed.
Where tartar has been building below the gum line and gum disease is established, the initial phase of periodontal treatment is $1,600. Periodontal charting is included within that figure rather than added to it, as is root surface debridement, which is valued at $80 per tooth. Ongoing three-monthly periodontal maintenance is $400.
Every one of those figures assumes your health fund contributes nothing. In practice a fund may cover part of it, and a quote can be run against your specific policy before treatment starts. Our fees page explains why published prices are starting points.
Does removing tartar hurt, and will it come back?
A routine clean on healthy gums is generally comfortable. Where gums are inflamed they are tender before the appointment starts, and that is the discomfort people usually remember. Local anaesthetic is available for deeper cleaning, and happy gas is available at $120 for anyone who finds dental treatment difficult.
It will come back. Calculus formation is a normal biological process, not a personal failure, and the practical question is how fast it returns for you. After periodontal treatment the interval is set at three months precisely because deposits resurge quickly at that stage, and this works when the daily cleaning at home is done as well. Once gums are stable for around twelve months, most people move to a six-monthly recall.
Quick answers
Can I remove tartar at home?
Not safely or completely. Home scalers tend to damage the root surface and the gum, and they do not reach the deposits below the gum line that matter most. Brushing and flossing prevent new tartar; they do not remove existing tartar.
Does tartar cause gum disease?
Indirectly. The bacteria in plaque cause the inflammation. Tartar holds that plaque hard against the gum in a place that cannot be cleaned, so the inflammation continues rather than resolving.
Why is there tartar behind my bottom front teeth even though I brush?
Because two major salivary ducts open right there, so those surfaces are constantly bathed in the calcium and phosphate that harden plaque. It is the most common site in almost everyone and is not a sign of poor brushing on its own.
How often should tartar be removed?
Six-monthly suits most people. Those who form calculus quickly, smoke, or have a history of gum disease are often placed on a three-monthly interval. The interval is a clinical judgement, not a fixed rule.
Having it removed
Tartar is one of the few dental problems where the fix is genuinely straightforward once you are in the chair, and where waiting reliably makes it harder. General information is also published by healthdirect on teeth cleaning and gum disease.
Berala Dental has looked after Berala families since 2002, and cleaning is done by clinicians who do it every day.
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You can also read about check-ups and cleans, periodontal deep cleaning, or the stage at which gum disease is still fully reversible.
Written and reviewed by Humzah Aly, Oral Health Therapist. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dental practitioner to discuss what is right for you.
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