If you’ve noticed a hard yellow, brown, or black buildup on your teeth, it’s probably tartar. Around 70% of American adults have tartar on their teeth, so you’re not alone1. Learning how to remove tartar from teeth safely and prevent buildup in the first place is key to protecting your dental health.
What Is Tartar?
Tartar, also known as dental calculus, is a layer of hardened dental plaque on teeth and around the gums2. While it’s usually yellow or light brown, it can also be gray or black. Once tartar develops, you will need a dentist to safely remove it from your teeth. Tartar on teeth isn’t a grave concern—especially if you regularly go to the dentist for cleanings—but it can cause cavities and gum disease by trapping bacteria and giving it more space to grow.
Plaque vs. Tartar: What's the Difference?
Tartar starts out as plaque. Over time, plaque can harden and bond to the tooth’s surface, becoming tartar. Plaque is a soft, sticky film of bacteria that’s constantly forming on teeth and below the gumline3. It’s usually colorless or pale yellow. When you haven’t brushed your teeth in several hours and your teeth just feel a bit dirty, that’s plaque building up.
Everyone gets plaque on their teeth—there’s nothing you can do to prevent that. What you should focus on is getting rid of plaque before it has time to become tartar. Brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing daily will help remove the plaque before it calcifies.
What Causes Tartar Buildup?
Tartar buildup happens when plaque on teeth is left undisturbed for 24–72 hours. In that time, the plaque starts to harden, making it impossible to safely remove with brushing or flossing. Plaque begins forming again and, if not removed, can turn into even more tartar. Once tartar forms on your teeth, its rough surface makes it easier for new plaque to stick and add to the tartar buildup4.
Can You Remove Tartar at Home?
No, generally you cannot safely remove tartar at home. Your standard home teeth cleaning tools, including your toothbrush, floss, and mouthwash, won’t be able to break up the tartar or wash it away once it has hardened.
You may be tempted to use a sharp scraping tool to get rid of tartar at home, but resist that urge. Trying to scrape off tartar at home comes with risks of severely scratching your tooth enamel, cutting your gums, or causing an infection. It’s best to leave tartar removal to your dentist.
How Dentists Remove Tartar
When you visit your dentist for tartar removal, they will start with a dental exam. Your dentist will look at your teeth and gums using a small mirror to find tartar deposits above and below your gumline. Then, they may use several methods to remove those tartar buildups, such as:
- Ultrasonic Scaling: The scaler tool uses high-frequency vibrations to break up hard tartar, while a continuous stream of water cools down the tool and washes away the loose debris.
- Manual Scaling: The dentist uses metal instruments with sharp tips to carefully scrape away any remaining tartar without damaging the teeth or gums.
- Scaling and Root Planing: In these non-surgical deep cleanings, the dentist scrapes away tartar from below the gumline and smooths out rough spots on the tooth roots5.
The tartar removal process is generally quick and painless. For deep cleanings, your dentist may administer local anesthetic to make the process more comfortable.
How to Prevent Tartar Buildup
Your dentist can remove tartar buildup, but it’s better to prevent it in the first place. Make sure you practice these strong oral hygiene habits that stop soft plaque from building up and calcifying:
- Brush your teeth twice daily. Spend 2 minutes twice a day brushing your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste. Don’t forget to brush all the way up to the gumline, where tartar often develops.
- Floss daily. Gently clean between your teeth and under the gumline once a day with traditional floss or a water flosser to get the plaque that brushing misses.
- Use an antiseptic mouthwash.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water naturally washes away food particles and helps keep your teeth cleaner.
Visit your dentist regularly for checkups, too, even if you don’t notice any tartar buildup. Routine visits with a trusted dental care provider like Beam Dental will give you peace of mind. Together, we’ll catch issues like cavities or gum disease early before they require more extensive treatment.
Book your preventative care appointment with Beam Dental today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove tartar from my teeth at home?
No, there’s no safe way to remove tartar from teeth without a dentist. If you try to remove tartar from your teeth at home, you risk damaging your gums and tooth enamel. Visit your dentist to have tartar removed professionally. And make sure you clean your teeth twice a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste to get rid of plaque before it turns into tartar.
What does black tartar on teeth mean?
Tartar is usually yellow or light brown, but you can also get a buildup of black tartar on your teeth. Black tartar is hardened plaque that has turned a dark color from absorbing minerals from blood or being exposed to pigments from food and drinks. Consuming things like coffee, tea, red wine, or dark foods could stain the tartar and make it appear black.
How quickly does plaque turn into tartar?
If you don’t remove plaque from your teeth, it will thicken and absorb minerals from your saliva within 24–48 hours, starting to turn into tartar. Within 72 hours, plaque hardens completely. The key to preventing tartar is regularly removing plaque with brushing and flossing before it can complete this hardening process.
Does tartar cause gum disease?
Yes, tartar can lead to gum disease. As tartar builds up along your gumline, it can irritate your gum tissue and cause gingivitis—the early (and reversible) stage of gum disease. If you notice red, swollen, or bleeding gums, those are signs of gingivitis that may be due to tartar buildup. Make sure to discuss these concerns with your dentist.
How often should I have tartar removed?
You should visit your dentist every 6 months for a checkup that includes tartar removal. If you smoke or have gum disease, diabetes, or braces, you may need tartar removal cleanings more often—every 3 to 4 months. Regularly seeing your dentist for tartar removal helps prevent excessive buildup, reducing the risk of gum inflammation, tooth decay, and receding gums.
Sources:
- Dental Plaque and Tartar: Causes, Prevention, and Removal. Crest. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-tips/tartar-and-plaque/plaque-tartar-causes-prevention-removal
- (19 June 2023). Tartar. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25102-tartar
- Parker, H. and King, L. M. (26 June 2026). Plaque or Tartar on Your Teeth. WebMD. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tartar-dental-calculus-overview
- Villines, Z. (24 November 2020). What are the differences between plaque and tartar? Medical News Today. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/plaque-vs-tartar
- (2 December 2024). Tooth Scaling and Root Planing. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/23983-tooth-scaling-and-root-planing
