Dental tartar is the bane of oral health. It causes cavities and gum disease alike, and once you have it, it's nearly impossible to get rid of it. But why exactly can't you get rid of it at home? Here's the answer you're looking for.

Toothbrushes

The main problem with trying to get rid of tartar at home is that toothbrushes simply aren't hard enough to do the job. Toothbrush bristles are made intentionally soft because if they're too hard, they'll damage your precious tooth enamel. Once that enamel is gone, it's lost for good, so the manufacturers of toothbrushes don't want this to happen. The same can also be said for floss.

Scalers

Thankfully, dentists have tools at their disposal that make cleaning up tartar relatively easy. However, even then, their special training is a must in order to prevent damage to your teeth.

Dental scalers are the tool that dentists use to dislodge dental tartar. There are two kinds: traditional scalers and ultrasonic scalers.

Traditional scalers are that hook-like device that you've probably seen your dentist use. They literally use it to scrape away dental tartar and to break off tartar that's developed like a bridge between your teeth. Ultrasonic scalers, on the other hand, use high-frequency ultrasonic waves to shake the tartar until it breaks up and can be easily rinsed away.

The problem with both of these tools is that it's not safe for the average person to use on their own. Not only do you have a worse visual perspective of your own teeth than a dentist does, but in untrained hands, you can easily damage your dental enamel with either type of dental scaler.

What to Do

If you're worried about tartar, your best - and really, only - option is to go to a dentist for routine cleaning. It's as easy as that. While you can do your best at home to prevent plaque from accumulating and slow down the development of tartar as a result, nothing gets rid of 100% of plaque except having a professional dental cleaning. So while some people may be able to get away with seeing a dentist less often for cleanings, skipping them entirely is a bad idea. 

Dental tartar can cause all kinds of problems for your teeth and gums and needs to be removed on a regular basis. If you haven't had an appointment with a dentist for a while, it's time to change that.