Author: Lizzie Smith – blog last updated on Friday 9th January 2024.
Do you suffer from tartar? In this article, we’ll explain why it’s important to prevent tartar as much as possible and which anti-tartar toothpastes can help you achieve this.
Tartar: the biggest threat to your teeth and health
If you don’t remove dental plaque daily, it hardens into tartar under the influence of calcium (among other things). While you can easily brush away dental plaque, this doesn’t apply to tartar. Tartar roughens the tooth enamel, meaning more plaque can stick to it, which then turns into tartar. It’s a vicious circle.
What’s even more annoying is when tartar is not only visible on your tooth enamel (supra-gingival tartar), but it starts to grow under your gums. So-called pockets then arise, in which plaque and tartar can accumulate undisturbed. This can then lead to irritated and inflamed gums.
Chronic inflammation in the mouth is terrible for your oral health as it brings a high risk of problems such as bad breath and tooth decay. But inflammation in your mouth can also adversely affect your overall health. Untreated gum disease (gingivitis) can prevent your immune system from responding adequately to inflammation in the rest of the body. Research also shows that it can lead to atherosclerosis ( also known as hardening of the arteries) and possibly other cardiovascular diseases.
How to remove tartar
Once tartar has formed, it must be removed because it will only grow further and cause more mouth and health problems. You can remove supra-gingival (visible) tartar yourself with the Oravall whitening sponge or the Profi dental hook.
If you have sub-gingival tartar under your gums and pockets or any gum infections, these must be treated by a dentist or dental hygienist. They’ll also advise you to practice better oral hygiene, so your tooth enamel can remain smooth and tartar-free for longer.
How to prevent tartar
Because plaque can still be brushed away, you’re in a position to prevent tartar as much as you possibly can. This is why we brush our teeth twice daily: to remove plaque. But brushing alone isn’t enough. You also need to clean the interdental spaces between your teeth daily. You can do this with real toothpicks (no cocktail sticks!), dental floss, floss bows or tooth brushes.
Toothpaste is also an essential weapon in your fight against dental plaque and, thus, the formation of tartar. But one toothpaste is not the same as another. This is mainly due to the extent to which the ingredients respect the natural balance of the oral flora.
Many kinds of toothpaste contain ingredients that fight harmful bacteria. But these toothpastes can also disrupt the rest of your oral flora by killing beneficial microbes. Or they also include components which dry out the oral mucosa, such as alcohol. The widely used foaming agent, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), is a corrosive degreasing agent that noticeably or unnoticeably damages the oral mucosa. Toothpastes containing these coarse agents often also include all kinds of dubious and unnecessary chemicals, including parabens, phthalates, and colouring and flavouring agents.
Since a balanced oral flora and optimal acidity in the mouth are essential for your oral health, such ingredients don’t contribute to your fight against tartar.
Top 3 best toothpastes to prevent tartar
A good anti-tartar toothpaste should respect your oral flora, but it must also effectively kill the harmful bacteria before they become plaque. Here, we’ve selected our top 3 favourite toothpastes to prevent tartar.
1. RyttPro Toothpaste Magic Mint
The main ingredient of this powerful toothpaste is the formula OZ-3X. This combination of stabilised chlorine dioxide, zinc and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) effectively combats harmful oral bacteria while respecting the balance of your oral flora.
RyttPro Toothpaste Magic Mint foams via a mild coconut-based foaming agent. This toothpaste has a pleasant fresh mint flavour and also contains fluoride to strengthen your tooth enamel/
After brushing your teeth and flossing, use a mouthwash to clean your teeth further. You can do this with the matching RyttPro Oral Rinse, which also contains the mouth-friendly formula OZ-3X.
2. JuliBrite Toothpaste
JuliBrite toothpaste helps prevent tartar in a more modern way than most conventional kinds of toothpaste.
The toothpaste doesn’t contain fluoride, but it does contain 3% Nano Hydroxyapatite (also known as HAP). HAP is a modern mineral that mineralises teeth and strengthens them against cavities without the adverse side effects associated with fluoride. HAP remineralises your teeth in the same way your body is.
In addition, HAP can bind the surface of your teeth, forming a protective layer. It fills the lines in your teeth, making them appear smoother and whiter. And the smoother your tooth enamel is, the less plaque can stick to it.
3. Oral icon Foam & Toothpaste
This toothpaste cares for your teeth by fighting harmful bacteria with an effective formula that also respects the oral flora. Fewer bacteria means less plaque and less plaque means less tartar. As a bonus, Oral icon Foam & Toothpaste makes your teeth optically whiter by neutralising the yellow tones.
Sources
British Dental Association: Myth busters on brushing your teeth
British Dental Journal: Time to take gum disease seriously