According to a dentist I saw recently, plaque is tarter that has hardened
beyond easy removal. I've been observing tarter accumulation on my teeth
over the last 2 years and how that accumulation correlates with what I eat.
I've found that there is a direct correlation between the amount of carbs I
eat and the amount of tarter build up. If I eat ice cream every day, I'll
have a millimeter of tarter build up along the inside gum line of my two
front lower teeth within 2 days. If I eat nothing but meat and fat I get 0
tarter build up for the duration of my 0 carb eating. If the only carbs I
eat come from vegetables then the tarter build up (to the millimeter level)
takes about 2-3 weeks. Fruit speed thing up a little but not nearly as much
as ice cream.


Tarter can be removed very easily. I can pick it off with a finger nail. I
don't have to go to a dentist, or even look in the mirror, to know it's
there, I can feel it with my tongue.

Paleo people didn't eat with knife and fork, they had to bite off pieces
with their front teeth. This combined with only seasonal fruit consumption
leads me to believe that any tarter build up they had was usually removed by
chewing meat and nuts. During the winter they got used to smooth clear teeth
so in the summer and fall when fruit was available I bet they noticed any
tarter build up and picked it off any way they could (fingernail, piece of
wood, bone fragment, etc...).

-Tad