How can you remove tartar yourself?

introduction

Generally, tartar cannot be removed by yourself. In the mineralized, hard state of the tartar, it is almost impossible for the patient to reduce this deposit independently. The patient only has the option of removing the soft plaque through adequate dental care in order to avoid the subsequent formation of tartar. Tartar can only be removed effectively and gently in the dental practice.

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What are the options?

If the deposits are still soft and have not yet mineralized to tartar, they can easily be removed with a toothbrush and between the teeth with dental floss or interdental brushes. Electric toothbrushes with an ultrasonic function, which cleans plaque more effectively through high vibrations, offer greater cleanability.

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There is no other option for self-employed people, as there is far too great a risk of damaging the teeth and not removing the tartar thoroughly enough. In addition, the person concerned has no sterile instruments and the specialist knowledge to even recognize tartar and reduce it completely.

Home remedies like tea tree oil or baking soda are not an option as they damage your teeth. Also popular is a homeopathic preparation made from grapefruit seeds, which is acid-free and which is supposed to prevent tartar formation through a tincture as an oral treatment. A few drops of this tincture are placed in water and gargled for a few seconds. The teeth do not suffer any damage, which can be assessed as positive.

However, if tartar has already formed, it must be professionally removed in a dental practice. Professional teeth cleaning is carried out.

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How dangerous is it to remove tartar yourself?

If the person concerned tries to remove the tartar on their own, there is a high risk of injury. If a pointed instrument is used for removal, there is a risk of slipping and tissue damage through improper use and handling. The gums, the gums and the tongue are often endangered and not infrequently severely injured by amateur use, so that the previously created wounds must be surgically closed.

Furthermore, non-sterile work can quickly lead to an infection, which can lead to worse complications. A soiled wound can cause tetanus, in English tetanus, which is a life-threatening disease. If the vaccination protection is not up to date, i.e. the last vaccination was more than 5 years ago, a vaccination should be given within 48 hours of the wounding in order to prevent tetanus.

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If the tartar is only partially and not completely removed, the bacteria in the biofilm can enter the bloodstream and damage organs. The bacteria pave their way to the heart through the bloodstream and can inflame the heart muscle and the membranes of the heart (endocarditis), which irreversibly damages the heart as the heart muscle cells cannot regenerate. As a result, the heart can become insufficient and no longer perform well. As a result, there may be an increased risk of a heart attack.

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Furthermore, due to the lack of polish after removing the tartar independently, there is a risk that a predilection site for bacteria will develop because it is rough. The bacteria can adhere better to the rough area and more easily form tooth decay in this area.

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How often should tartar be removed?

Tartar should be professionally removed in the dental practice once or twice a year, depending on its size; more frequent applications are possible for thick deposits. It is advisable to have a professional teeth cleaning carried out at regular intervals in order to keep the risk of tartar and plaque as low as possible. As a precaution, this can lead to a healthy oral flora that is less prone to tartar formation. Regular cleaning of the teeth in the morning and evening also plays an important role.

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Which home remedies help?

Some home remedies are said to have a positive effect on tartar removal. However, almost all of them are not recommended due to their tooth-damaging side effects. Sesame seeds can be used without hesitation. The affected person should chew on twenty to thirty grains and this will remove light tartar deposits. The application can be carried out daily, but does not ensure the desired success in the case of severe tartar contamination.

Citric acid should also be mentioned, which is supposed to dissolve tartar in the oral cavity due to its acidic effect. However, the teeth are also severely attacked and the tooth enamel is destroyed, which is why this method is questionable. Strawberries, whose acid is also supposed to dissolve tartar, have a similar mechanism of action. Baking powder and tea tree oil are also said to be able to remove the mineralized plaque in the oral cavity and thus improve dental health. Due to its highly abrasive (removing tooth substance) effect, baking powder is to be classified as similar to citric acid. Tea tree oil does not damage the teeth, however.

Learn more about this under: How can you remove tartar naturally?

Tea tree oil

The active ingredient of tea tree oil is said to have a positive effect on tartar reduction. There are special toothpastes with tea tree oil extract that can be used in daily oral hygiene. The pure oil can also be used. Two to three drops of the tea tree oil should be drizzled onto the toothbrush and the areas affected with tartar should be cleaned with circular movements. The application is carried out for about one to one and a half minutes.

The strong smell and taste of the essential oils of the tea tree oil take getting used to and can cause vomiting. Furthermore, the result of the application is unsatisfactory in most cases. Severe tartar formation and heavy deposits cannot be removed with tea tree oil and in these cases the dentist must be consulted.

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baking powder

Baking powder consists of a coarse-grained salt, sodium dihydrogen carbonate, which has a strong abrasive effect when scrubbed with a toothbrush. These abrasions can minimize tartar, but they also erase the tooth enamel and thus destroy the protective coating of the tooth. A thorough and complete removal of the tartar is not guaranteed by the application and tartar residues can be left unnoticed.

This risk is exacerbated by the fact that it is very difficult to reach the areas that tend to build up tartar. These places include the front of the lower jaw and the first molar in the upper jaw, as the ducts of the large salivary glands are located at these positions. Without appropriate lighting and instruments such as mirrors, these areas cannot be inspected well enough and tartar cannot be completely removed.

The tartar scraper

The tartar scraper is an instrument made of stainless steel that can be sterilized and with which tartar can be removed manually. It has a rounded tip with which the tartar can be broken off. The tartar scraper must be sharpened regularly, as it can only gently remove mineralized deposits when it is sharp. If the instrument is blunt, too much pressure is used to remove the tartar and this can damage the enamel.

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However, this instrument may not be used unauthorized, but only by trained specialists in the dental practice. Furthermore, when used at home, it is not possible to sterilize the tartar scraper (removal of germs). Thus, through the use of laypersons, the tartar scraper can cause a lot of damage and harm more than it helps. The pointed end can damage the gums and the gums if it slips off and damage the enamel if it is applied too forcefully. Furthermore, the tongue can be pierced when slipping, which leads to profuse bleeding and must be treated surgically. Due to the non-sterile environment, the patient can introduce bacteria into the wound and infect it.

For these reasons, it is strongly advised not to use it on its own, as the risk of injury is too high.

Do you have to go to the dentist for tartar removal?

In any case, tartar removal by trained specialists in the dental practice is the only way to reduce tartar completely. Furthermore, the methods at the dentist through ultrasound or scaling with hand instruments offer procedures to gently remove the mineralized plaque from the teeth and not to attack the healthy tooth substance. The trained removal and subsequent polishing create a smooth surface that hardly gives the bacteria a chance to adhere.

With nested teeth, there is a greater risk of tartar build-up as the patient is less able to clean them. Regular professional teeth cleaning can also help to reduce the risk of tartar formation in the long term. With good oral hygiene, one or two visits to the dentist a year are sufficient to maintain healthy oral flora over the long term. Furthermore, the dental check-up should be carried out twice a year in order to detect tartar at an early stage and remove it quickly.

Thorough oral care at home at home in the morning and in the evening is important for the trained tartar removal in the practice so that tartar cannot form in the first place. Due to the early removal of all soft deposits, they cannot mineralize and form tartar. Therefore, good oral hygiene and the trained cleaning methods at the dentist are the key to a sustainably healthy oral cavity.