Are the little folk remedies for removing black stains on teeth reliable?

Black stains on teeth are generally caused by dental plaque. Dental plaque develops over the years and is the final symptom. It is particularly harmful to healthy teeth. Some time ago, some methods of removing black stains from teeth often appeared on WeChat Moments, such as picking dental plaque with hands, etc. In fact, such small knowledge points are not reliable at all. If dental plaque appears, you still need to go to a regular hospital for teeth cleaning.

Myth 1: Picking out dental tartar with your hands

Method: Open your mouth and use your fingernails to pick out the tartar. If it can't be removed, use a small pointed tool and gently place it inside the gums. Then pry it up hard and the tartar will come out.

This method is unscientific. Soft tartar may be picked off with fingers, but once it becomes hard plaque, it is not easy to pick off. However, if you use instruments to pick the tartar, you may accidentally puncture the gums, or if you pick it irregularly, the remaining tartar will become sharper in shape, causing secondary damage to the oral cavity.

Myth 2: Brushing teeth with vinegar

Method: Take some vinegar and gargle it in your mouth for 2 to 3 minutes, spit it out, and then brush your teeth with a toothbrush dipped in toothpaste.

Theoretically, brushing your teeth immediately after rinsing your mouth with vinegar can help remove dental tartar. Because vinegar can soften the surface structure of teeth, if you brush your teeth immediately while the acid is still there, the tartar will fall off relatively easily. However, the teeth will also be softened by vinegar, and brushing your teeth immediately will cause great damage to the teeth, for example, it is likely to cause wear and tear on the tooth enamel. If you wait until the sour effect of the vinegar wears off before brushing your teeth, it will have no effect on dental plaque.

Myth 3: Brushing teeth with alum or cuttlefish bone

Method: Take 50 grams of alum powder or 50 grams of cuttlefish bone powder, mix it with toothpaste and brush your teeth once in the morning and once in the evening to remove yellow or black tartar.

Tartar is tightly attached to the teeth and generally requires mechanical vibration to remove. The method of brushing teeth mainly uses friction to work on dental plaque. Toothpaste itself contains abrasives. Adding alum powder and cuttlefish bone powder to toothpaste can increase friction. These substances are rubbing against the teeth at the same time as tartar, which may damage the teeth. In fact, relying solely on friction to remove tartar is not strong enough and has little practical effect.

Here comes the point: To completely remove stones, you still have to go for a teeth cleaning.

Brushing your teeth cannot completely remove tartar and has little effect. In fact, it is more about preventing the formation of tartar. It is mainly effective on dental plaque (early stage tartar) and can remove most of it. But the prerequisite is: the brushing method must be correct (Bass brushing method), otherwise it will be useless.

So, don’t be fooled by the little heat transfer method. Tartar grows very solid and can only be removed by mechanical external force - washing your teeth properly. Currently, the most commonly used method is ultrasonic teeth cleaning, and there is also a spray brush teeth cleaning, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The former has a high degree of cleanliness, while the latter is good for the smoothness of teeth.