How To Stop Tartar Building Up On Your Teeth
How do you stop tartar building up on the teeth?
Tartar, plaque, bacteria and germs build up on your teeth and are the reasons you suffer from gum disease, tooth decay, bad breath and tooth loss.
So how do you stop tartar from building up on your teeth?
How To Prevent Tartar
You brush and hopefully, floss too, and see your dentist twice a year and yet you still get plaque and tartar buildup.
You may wonder what’s the point of cleaning your teeth and having dental visits if that tartar is just going to build up anyway and may even feel like you are failing but I’m here to show you what you can do and help you to stop tartar building up on your teeth.
What Is Tartar Buildup?
First of all, we have to understand some basics about plaque and tartar and what causes them and this starts with biofilm.
As a holistic dentist, I also have a really good natural remedy to stop that tartar buildup that will help prevent gum disease and tooth decay.
I will share that with you soon but first, you need to understand what is happening in your mouth.
Tartar or calculus as we call it in dentistry is calcified dental plaque and it is full of bacteria, microorganisms, yeast, white blood cells, dead bacteria, dead mouth cells and food particles.
Ugh that’s not a pleasant combination when you think about it.
Biofilms, Plaque and Tartar
But it all starts with biofilm. Biofilms are a combination of bacteria that form together to protect one another from your immune defences.
Biofilm and the calcification of it, which starts the formation of tartar, is a survival mechanism of bacteria.
It’s like building a house to keep you safe and sheltered.
The bacteria hide underneath the calcium which forms like a little dome and that way they go undetected by your immune system and even antibiotics.
In nature, 95% of bacteria live in biofilms.
Take a look at a rock in a stream and if you pick it up you’ll notice it’s a bit slimy and slippery – that’s biofilms.
Biofilms are everywhere, it’s a very effective survival mechanism that’s been going on for a very, very long time.
So anytime you have water, such as saliva in your mouth, you are going to have biofilms.
And if there is an overabundance of biofilms you’re going to get bad breath, issues with inflammation (gum disease), receding gums and if left untreated destruction of the bone that holds your teeth in and eventual tooth extractions.
How to Prevent Dental Plaque and Tartar
If you are continually getting tartar buildup on your teeth, it’s not sufficient to just see your dentist every six months and hope for the best.
Because that build-up is gradually year on year damaging your gums and the support structures that hold your teeth in place.
It is causing inflammation and infection in your mouth; it then enters your bloodstream and affects the rest of your body and can cause serious systemic health issues like cardiovascular disease and dementia.
So we need to do more than simply accept that it’s okay for tartar to build up on your teeth and have it professionally cleaned away once in a while.
Let’s start with some ways to prevent and manage biofilm, plaque and tartar a lot better than brushing and flossing alone.
Xylitol – this is a sugar alcohol and xylitol gum and xylitol sweeteners have anti-biofilm properties as they help suppress adhesions to your teeth which means the plaque bacteria can’t attach and form biofilm that then becomes tartar. If you are going to chew gum make sure it’s xylitol based. You can also get xylitol mints and lozenges.
Herbs – there are many herbs that are anti-biofilm such as rosemary, clove, thyme and oregano oil.
Foods – garlic, curcumin (which is in turmeric) and cinnamon have anti-biofilm properties.
Supplements – NAC or N-acetyl cysteine is a supplemental form of cysteine. Your body doesn’t make it and it’s not found in foods, but it still plays an important role. NAC bonds with glutamine and glycine to form glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce biofilms.
Holistic Dentist Top Remedy To Prevent Tartar Build Up
My top remedy for tartar has just three simple ingredients.
I’m going to tell you why you should use this to prevent tartar buildup, improve your gum health and reduce the risk of tooth decay.
It has 3 ingredients and is cheap and easy to use.
You can add some essential oils like the ones I have mentioned earlier too if you like.
The first ingredient is baking soda.
So why baking soda?
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and one thing about biofilms especially the ones that overgrow around your teeth is tartar can start producing too many acids.
When the ph gets to the point where it’s sitting in the 3.5 to 5.5 range which is very acidic then the body starts leaching calcium out of your bones which is called decalcification.
It’s very important to make sure the ph in your mouth does not get that acidic. You want it neutral or maybe slightly acidic but not too much.
The main thing that produces too much acid is the sugar it’s your diet.
If you’re consuming too much sugar you are basically feeding the exact food that these bacteria love as well as the yeasts in the biofilm because there’s also a type of yeast called candida in biofilms as well.
As the bacteria and yeasts eat all this sugar they produce a waste by-product called lactic acid and now the ph starts to decrease and the environment starts to become ideal for extracting calcium from the teeth so you’re getting cavities.
And then of course the microbes are using the calcium for housing.
So using baking soda sodium bicarbonate is a great way to increase the ph to make things more alkaline to help buffer that ph so the acid isn’t there anymore to leach out calcium.
Also, baking soda can help to break down these biofilms.
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is what your saliva makes to buffer these acids so we’re just taking something that your body is already making so, therefore, it has virtually no side effects.
But do NOT just pour baking soda on your toothbrush and scrub your teeth with it as it will be too abrasive and wear away your enamel.
This is what you need to do:
Mix and quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda in half a cup of water.
That is step one of the remedy.
Step two involves adding hydrogen peroxide to the mix.
Make sure you get the three percent hydrogen peroxide, which you can get from the pharmacy or even the supermarket.
Hydrogen peroxide is a really good compound to help inhibit biofilms from developing as well as killing off bacteria and yeast like candida and other harmful microbes.
Hydrogen peroxide is what your body makes naturally, it is in your saliva.
Hydrogen peroxide is a major compound that your cells use to kill microbes so we’re just going to give your body what it naturally produces but just in higher quantities.
So, you use a fourth of a teaspoon of baking soda and a fourth of a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide three percent and mix that in half a cup of water.
First, use your toothbrush to brush your teeth with your toothpaste.
Second, dip your brush in your mix and brush your teeth. What this will do is it will help prevent the biofilms from continuing to come back and that way your teeth will be nice and smooth and you will have less tartar buildup.
- Step 1. Make your mix of water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide
- Step 2. Brush your teeth with toothpaste
- Step 3. Wet your brush with your anti-biofilm mix and brush your teeth again.
What else can you do to reduce tartar buildup?
There is research that shows a positive correlation between vitamin K2 and inhibiting this dental plaque.
So some people who actually start taking vitamin K2 which normally comes with vitamin D3 start noticing that the inside of their teeth are becoming smoother and smoother as they have less plaque and tart buildup.
Vitamin K2 is all about transporting calcium into the bone and out of the soft tissues and is of benefit to your health in that way.
Remedy To Stop Tartar Buildup on Your Teeth
So try out the anti-biofilm remedy to prevent tartar buildup. I promise you your mouth will be fresh and healthier and you will have much less biofilm and build-up to clean away each time you visit your dentist.
Holistic Dentist Brisbane
At Evolve Dental Healing Brisbane Holistic Dentist we are here to help you have a healthy mouth to live a healthy life in the most natural ways possible.
Give us a call to book your dental check and hygiene care today 07 3720 1811.
We provide safe amalgam removal, mercury-free dentistry, white fillings, fluoride-free dentistry and a range of treatments and services to support you to have a functional, healthy and beautiful smile.
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Dr. Rachel Hall
Rachel is the founder and principal dentist at Evolve Dental Healing with over 30 years experience, practising holistically since 2001. Not your typical dentist, Rachel is a passionate opinion leader, challenging convention to empower people to make better dental and health choices, helping thousands to have healthy natural smiles. A respected writer and presenter on holistic dentistry, health and wellness it is Rachel’s mission to revolutionise the way people look at their dental health.
