Remove with baking powder

One of the main components of baking powder is baking soda. This is a chemical compound that reacts alkaline. This means that it can neutralize the acids in the oral cavity.

At this point, it becomes problematic when it comes to removing tartar, because the stored minerals only dissolve from the tartar in an acidic environment. So it quickly becomes clear that the baking powder cannot remove tartar. Furthermore, baking powder has abrasive properties, which is why it acts like sandpaper on the teeth when brushing them and, if used frequently, it removes the hard tooth substance, which leads to severe defects. In conclusion, it can be said that baking powder is not suitable for removing tartar, but in the form of a mouth rinsing solution it can neutralize the aggressive acids in the mouth and thus still have a small positive effect.

Remove with citric acid

Lemons are another household remedy for removing tartar. The citric acid contained in them attacks the tartar and causes components to be dissolved and the plaque to soften. The weakened tartar can then be removed with a toothbrush.

What sounds promising in theory, can in reality cause great damage to the teeth. The reason for this is that the acid not only attacks the tartar but also the enamel itself. Lemon juice has a pH value of 2.4, which can be classified as quite acidic.

Dental enamel is dissolved from a pH value of about 5.4 and the uppermost layers soften.Normally the body can remineralize the enamel and no damage occurs. However, if you scrub your teeth with a toothbrush during this time, the weakened tooth components are worn away and you brush away considerable amounts of enamel in a short time, which cannot be reproduced by the body. In this case we speak of erosion of the teeth. Prolonged use exposes parts of the dentine that are more susceptible to caries and also pose an aesthetic problem due to their yellow color. For this reason, citric acid should never be used to remove tartar, as it removes more enamel than tartar.