Once plaque hardens into tartar, brushing and flossing are ineffective for removal, necessitating dental intervention.

“if enough of it accumulates and it gets thicker and kind of Mossy it's kind of like you know thicker it looks kind of sponge form and that's the plaque and then if enough of it forms and there's enough acidity in the mouth then it forms tartter which is the hard caked on stuff that requires scraping off by the dentist”