The player must shoot food to protect teeth inside a person's mouth.

[citation needed] The player controls a tube of toothpaste, defending teeth against various types of food, such as hamburgers and french fries.

Destroying the food scores points, as does the number of teeth and the amount of toothpaste left at the end of each wave.

Players who scored more than 35,000 points could send a screenshot of their accomplishment to Activision to receive a "No Plaque Pack" patch and congratulatory letter.

From August through mid-November 1983, a mail-in rebate program ran in newspaper advertisements to cross-promote Aquafresh and Plaque Attack.