Imagine meeting your crush for the first time or attending an important business meeting; everything is going well until you smile and the black tartar on your teeth shows. It is also called calculus, a black substance on your teeth that won’t come off without a dentist’s help.
Black Stuff on Teeth Near Gums
Nobody wants a stained smile, but tartar on your teeth can cause it. If you don’t brush and floss properly, bacteria can build up along the gumline and create plaque, a colorless, soft coating on your teeth. Good oral hygiene can easily remove plaque. However, if plaque is left untreated for a long time, it can harden and turn black, and brushing or flossing won’t remove it.
When tartar forms below the gum line (subgingival tartar), it can tear into blood vessels in the gums. When blood pigments and proteins mix with tartar, it turns black.
What Causes Black Tartar on Teeth?
Poor oral hygiene is often the main cause of tartar buildup. Tartar can turn black or form below the gum line due to improper brushing and flossing. Other factors that contribute to tartar formation and can turn it black include:
- Smoking
- Diets high in starch and sugar
- Drinking staining liquids like coffee and wine
- Trauma or damage to tooth enamel
Black Tartar Vs. Cavity
When you visit the dentist, you might hear unfamiliar terms like plaque, tartar, and cavities. Understanding the differences can be confusing, but the following is a simple breakdown:
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Tartar (Calculus)
Tartar forms when plaque isn’t cleaned off your teeth well enough. If plaque stays on your teeth, it hardens into tartar, which is also called calculus. Tartar acts like a shield for bacteria and can’t be removed with regular brushing or flossing. You need a dentist or hygienist to remove tartar. Tartar can make your teeth look stained and can trap more plaque, making it harder to clean your teeth well. Plaque and tartar together can wear down your tooth enamel and create small holes.
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Cavities (Tooth Decay)
Cavities happen when bacteria and acid get through those small holes in your enamel. The bacteria and acid reach the dentin layer of your teeth, which is connected to your nerves and can cause sensitivity. They then go deeper into the tooth to the pulp, where nerves and blood vessels are. This causes pain and can damage your tooth permanently. This damage is called tooth decay or cavities.
How to Remove Black Tartar from Teeth?
You can’t remove black tartar by yourself. To get rid of it, you should see your dentist. They will clean your teeth to help remove them. This cleaning process involves scaling or root planning, where they remove or scrape off the black plaque from your teeth, both above and below the gum line.
Concluding Thoughts
All you can do is maintain a proper oral hygiene routine to prevent black tartar on teeth. If you have already developed some, dental cleaning can greatly help.
Visit us at Lake Elsinore Dentistry. Our dentists are experts at providing top-notch dental care. Call us at (951) 579-1010 to book an appointment.