# Tartar Notes
> Tartar is hardened plaque that only a professional can remove. Why it forms and how to slow it.

## Guides
- [How Plaque Hardens Into Tartar](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/plaque-hardens-into-tartar/): Plaque hardens into tartar when the soft bacterial film is left on the teeth long enough to absorb minerals from saliva and set.
- [Where Tartar Forms Most Often](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/tartar-hotspots-lower-front/): The tartar hotspots lower front teeth are the surfaces behind them, on the tongue side, where saliva ducts sit close by and brushing is easy to rush.
- [Do Tartar Control Pastes Work?](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/tartar-control-toothpaste/): Tartar control toothpaste is generally formulated to help limit new deposits from building up, but it does not dissolve tartar that has already hardened.
- [Why Scraping Tartar at Home Is Risky](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/diy-tartar-removal-danger/): Scraping at hardened deposits with a metal pick, pin or similar tool can scratch enamel and injure the gums, which is why diy tartar removal danger is a real.
- [Professional Scaling Explained](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/professional-scaling-tartar/): Professional scaling is the removal of hardened deposits from the teeth by a dental team using hand instruments or an ultrasonic tip.

## About
- [About Tartar Notes](https://what-causes-tartar-buildup.pages.dev/about/): not medical advice, how the site is funded and how guides are made

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