Is it possible to safely remove tartar from your teeth without visiting a dentist?

Why avoid?: Tartar buildup is mainly due to missing places when brushing. Simple regular cleanings and improving home care will reduce tartar buildup. Avoiding the dentist will simply cause things to get worse. Many people do because they dont want to hear what might be needed. Delaying a visit can only make things worse.

Probably not.: Tartar can form above the gums and below the gums. To remove it from below your own gums without hurting yourself is not likely. You may be able to remove some tartar in easily accessible areas. Besides removing tartar, though, your dentist should also be looking for oral cancer, measuring the health of the gums, and looking for cavities. Those are definitely hard to do on yourself.

Don't try.: Tartar, or calculus, is the calcified accumulation of bacterial plaque on your teeth. Plaque starts to form soon after eating, especially starchy or sugary foods. Brushing and flossing can remove this safely. Once it hardens to a rocklike coating, it has to be scraped off carefully. If you improvise and try to do it yourself, a you could scratch off the enamel, infect your gums and miss spots.

Not effectively: You don't have the training or the instruments to do this effectively. Would you consider trying to operate on any other area of your body by yourself? You probably would do more harm than good.