Dental plaque or tartar? Where is actually the difference?

Dentists and prophylaxis assistants speak of dental plaque or plaque as well as tartar. You, as a layperson, may be wondering what the difference is and, more importantly, how best to avoid both.

Dental plaque, technically known as plaque, is a sticky, colorless film of saliva, food debris and bacteria that is continuously formed - even shortly after brushing your teeth. The plaque particularly likes to adhere to the gumline. The acid-forming bacteria contained in the plaque can attack the tooth enamel and damage the gums. The good thing is: with careful oral hygiene, you can remove the soft plaque and thus also reduce the associated risks.

When plaque becomes tartar

If plaque is insufficiently removed due to poor oral hygiene, it mineralizes into tartar. The minerals in the saliva are deposited in the plaque. This process begins after just one to two days. After an average of ten to twenty days, a fixed tartar has formed. Tartar is a yellowish or brown, hard encrusted deposit. Some people tend to develop tartar quickly, while others have a longer grace period. Eventually, however, everyone gets tartar if the plaque is not removed. As people age, tartar tends to form more quickly than in younger years. The bad thing is: you cannot remove tartar yourself!

Tartar also discolors teeth easily visible to others. That is why some people try to remove the tartar themselves with hard brushes, pointed tools or their fingernails. Please do not resort to such methods, because you can damage the enamel and the oral mucosa. Instead, be sure to have the tartar removed professionally by a dentist or as part of a professional dental cleaning. Here, for example, water-cooled ultrasonic devices and various hand instruments are used to be able to remove the tartar without injury.

Tartar in itself is medically harmless, but removal is highly recommended because the acid attack on the enamel under the tartar continues. This makes it easy for gingivitis to develop, which can turn into dangerous periodontitis.

How to prevent plaque and tartar buildup

If your mouth is free of tartar, you have a great deal of control over whether or how quickly tartar can form again. Good oral hygiene is the be-all and end-all:

Brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. Since tartar mainly occurs on the inside of the front incisors and on the outside of the upper first molars, you should brush these areas particularly carefully with regard to tartar. Check your brushing technique for possible mistakes that may have crept in over the years. Use dental floss or interdental brushes to clean the spaces between your teeth and finish off your daily oral hygiene with a mouth rinse.

Whether you brush your teeth with a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush is up to you. However, experience has shown that it is easier to care for your teeth with an electric toothbrush. On the one hand, because the motor generates vibrations or rotations and thus relieves you of work. On the other hand, various extras help you to adhere to the recommendations of oral care experts. The timer on the electric toothbrush, for example, motivates you to really brush for two minutes. It is also important that you change the brush heads regularly. With Demirdental brush heads, the indicator bristles show you when it's time to change again.

For your own careful oral hygiene, it is also advisable to accept support in the form of professional dental cleaning approximately every six months.