Can you Remove Dental Calculus Yourself?

One of the most commonly asked questions by patients is can you remove dental calculus yourself? Dental calculus can only be removed by a dental hygienist or dentist through a dental cleaning. You can’t remove dental calculus by yourself.

1. Picking at dental calculus 

Trying to pick at dental calculus with your hands will not only cause bleeding to the gums but it will also damage to the gums. Also there is bacteria on the hands which will can cause an oral infection.

2. Will dental calculus fall off itself?

A lot of patients think that dental calculus can fall off itself? Dental calculus generally speaking will not fall off itself and if left untreated then it will result in periodontal disease and cannot heal by itself and over a long period of time it will only get worse.

If dental calculus is not removed it will get progress below the gum line and the area it covers will get larger resulting in swollen and bleeding gums and in severe cases it will lead to the tooth becoming loose and in the end the tooth will fall out.  

3. How to remove dental calculus properly?

When calculus is still soft through proper brushing and rinsing after eating it can be removed. However, once the dental calculus hardens no matter how many times you brush the calculus it can’t be removed. Therefore, it’s advised that you visit a professional dental clinic for a professional dental cleaning and the use of a ultrasonic scaler to remove the calculus. Once the dental calculus is below the gum line scaling below the gum line is required to remove the dental calculus.