Tartar is one of the biggest problems in a person's mouth that can lead to oral health issues. It's tough to remove, and can lead to both cavities and gum disease. This may lead you to wonder if there's a way you can get rid of tartar yourself to either avoid going to the dentist's office or to improve your oral health before you get there. If you're curious about this, here's what you should know.
How Tartar is Removed in the Dentist's Office
Tartar is removed in one of two ways at the dentist's office. With a traditional scaler or an ultrasonic scaler.
Both scalers work in similar ways. The traditional scaler, which has a metal hook on the end, chips away at tartar and breaks it off of your teeth manually. This is what you're experiencing when you feel your dentist tugging on build-up between your teeth.
An ultrasonic scaler performs the same job, but with ultrasonic waves that break up the tartar and loosen it enough so that it can be washed away with water.
The Problem With Doing it at Home
The tools you have available to you at home, like your floss, toothbrush, and mouthwash, simply aren't strong enough to get rid of tartar. These devices are intended to be gentle enough for daily use, which scalers simply aren't. So once you develop tartar, you're stuck with it until you go to the dentist's office.
Even with the Tools…
You might be thinking that you could get rid of tartar if you can get ahold of a dental scaler. It's true that dental scaling tools can be found in most dental aisles. However, they're not safe for you to use to try and strip away tartar.
First of all, it will be hard for you to identify the tartar without professional training and powerful mirrors to look closely at your teeth. Secondly, a single slip with the scaler and you'll end up stabbing yourself in the gums and potentially causing bleeding and infection. But most importantly, in the hands of an untrained person, a scaler can damage your tooth enamel. This can expose you to an even higher risk of developing cavities from plaque and tartar, which is something you should try to avoid at all costs.
The simplest way to look at this is that dentists understand that tartar happens, and it's their job to get rid of it. You won't be criticized for having tartar and it will be far easier and safer for you to head on in to have a professional take care of it than trying to do it yourself and possibly hurting yourself. Learn more from dental team like Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in your area today.