Tartar – The bacteria in your mouth form a sticky layer on your teeth called plaque. If left untouched, plaque will eventually turn into a hard substance called tartar that can turn brown.
Tartar is the hard substance that results from plaque buildup on the teeth and can make the teeth appear brown or yellow. Tarter begins to appear near the gum line and must be removed by a dental professional. Tooth decay discolors teeth in several ways.
Tooth staining can seem to happen overnight, but chances are, something has been introduced to your teeth over time that slowly darkened your teeth. With the exception of dental trauma, tooth discoloration is mostly caused by repeated exposure to staining ingredients or because of something health-related.
Your local drug store has a wide range of whitening products that can help get rid of stains, even in the hard-to-reach areas between your teeth. Whitening strips, toothpaste, gum, and rinses may help restore the whiteness of your smile.
While you may assume that you know your mouth better than anyone else, your dental professional should be the one in charge of safe tartar removal. Only they can successfully remove tartar buildup on teeth. They do this through a process using manual scaling tools called scaling or with an ultrasonic device.
The best way to remove the build-up of plaque and tartar on your teeth is by brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Daily flossing and using an antiseptic mouthwash will help to keep bacteria at bay in hard-to-reach areas.
Brown spots on the teeth are often the result of poor oral hygiene, smoking, or consuming many dark foods and drinks. Spots on the outside of the tooth can often be removed and are easy to prevent. Rarely, brown spots on the teeth signal a medical condition.
Staining of the enamel is not permanent and can be easily reversed with treatments through professional stain removal and tooth whitening. Steer away from home remedies. Often these products are abrasive and can scratch the enamel making them more susceptible to staining - such as whitening toothpastes.
While it is usually difficult to see a cavity in its beginning stages, some cavities start with a whitish or chalky appearance on the enamel of your tooth.
Dental plaque that remains on your teeth for several days hardens and turns into tartar, which must be scraped off. Tartar makes your teeth look yellow and smell bad, so you may find it difficult to clean your mouth completely once tartar builds up.
There is no evidence to date that tooth decay can be reversed, or that oil pulling can reverse tooth decay. Prevention is the key to avoid damage.
Unfortunately, once plaque hardens into tartar, it is not likely a toothbrush and floss will remove it. Scraping tarter off your own with other tools is not a good idea. Because these tools require special training to use properly, you could do more harm than good to your smile.
Improper use of plaque scrapers can result in infection. Tartar can be accidentally pushed under the gum line, leading to gum issues and infection.
Scaling involves a special tool to scrape the tartar off of your teeth. There are tools available for at-home purchase, but it's important that you don't attempt to scale teeth on your own. Without professional training, you can cause serious damage to your teeth and gum tissue.
The tartar itself is porous and is highly susceptible to discoloration and staining. Foods, beverages, and other factors can turn it a noticeable brown color as a result. The buildup of tartar on and between teeth is often the result of a lack of brushing and flossing on a regular basis.
Start by mixing white vinegar in a glass of warm saltwater. This solution can then be gargled once a day to aide in the removal of tartar that has formed on the region between the teeth and gums. The mixture should be made from two tablespoons of white vinegar into a cup of warm water with dissolved salt.
Over time, plaque hardens into tartar or dental calculus. Tartar is hard since it contains minerals present in saliva. Thus, only a dentist can remove tartar from our teeth. But, sometimes, tartar might start breaking off of teeth if you brush aggressively.
Though good oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing helps in preventing cavities, you may still get cavities. The reasons can be many, like the spaces between teeth that easily trap food, consuming too much cavity-causing foods and beverages, avoiding regular professional-level cleanings and checkups, etc.
In general, adults develop an average of three cavities during their lifetimes. This means that the average adult has three or four fillings in their mouth. Some patients end up with ten or more fillings depending on how well they care for their teeth.
If a cavity goes untreated for two years or longer, severe damage to the tooth is likely. You will notice discoloration around the tooth, swelling around the gums, and severe pain and sensitivity. The bacteria will probably have damaged the tooth root and pulp at this point. You may lose the tooth.
Did you know that tartar mainly comes from your saliva?! Yup, the calcium content in your saliva actually is the main source that form these barnacles in your mouth. Sugarary food and carbohydrates also induce more tartar formation much faster too. Tartar is actually the apartment complex for bacteria.
When this happens, the harsh ingredients in your toothpaste cause the cells lining the insides of your cheeks to slough off, and as they collect in your mouth, this creates the white, slimy, stringy stuff.
What is Worse Tartar or Plaque? Tartar is worse because it is more difficult to remove and can lead to more problems if left untreated, such as gum disease, gingivitis and tooth infection. However, tartar is only caused by untreated, hardened plaque.