Does Professional Teeth Cleaning Hurt?

While normal brushing and flossing can remove food particles and debris from your mouth, a professional dental exam and cleaning remove stubborn plaque and tartar. It is essential to preserve oral health and prevent problems like gum disease and tooth decay. Most dental experts recommend having at least two dental cleanings per year. Contact our Dover dentist for dental cleanings near you.

If you have never had a tooth cleaning procedure, you might be curious about what to expect and whether it’s painful. The good news about getting a dental cleaning is that it’s typically painless. There are no cutting, drilling, or injections. However, the procedure can be uncomfortable if there’s a significant build-up of tartar on the teeth and along the gum line. The dentist will have to scrape harder to get rid of these deposits.

What to Expect During a Dental Exam and Cleaning?

Generally, teeth cleaning is simple, painless, and quick. If you have dental anxiety or phobia, the dentist can administer sedation to keep you relaxed and comfortable during the procedure. However, sedation is not often necessary. A typical procedure involves:

• Physical Exam

Before cleaning your teeth, the dentist or hygienist will examine your mouth. They may check for signs of dental problems like gum disease and decay. The exam guides the dentist to focus on during the cleaning. If any issues are detected, the dentist will provide the necessary treatment.

• Removing plaque and tartar

Using special tools like scalers, the dentist scrapes off tartar and plaque from your teeth and around the gum line. The more tartar and plaque there are, the harder and more prolonged the procedure will be. Good at-home brushing and flossing can help prevent a large accumulation of these deposits. Unfortunately, once tartar forms, you can only remove it with professional cleaning.

• Toothpaste cleaning

Once the teeth are free from tartar and plaque, the dentist or hygienist will brush your mouth with a high-powered electric brush. While it might sound scary, it’s not painful. It helps to eliminate any tartar leftovers from the scaler.

• Thorough Flossing

The dentist will thoroughly floss your teeth to eliminate plaque and toothpaste leftovers from earlier scraping and brushing. The dentist can floss deeper between your teeth, unlike your regular floss at home.

• Rinsing

After the scraping, brushing, and flossing procedure, the dentist will thoroughly rinse your mouth with liquid fluoride to eliminate any leftover debris.

• Fluoride treatments

The last step of dental cleaning is further preventive care. The dentist can recommend fluoride treatment to strengthen your teeth and protect them from cavities. The fluoride varnish can be applied to the tooth, or you can be given a mouthpiece with foamy gel to fit over your teeth.

• Additional steps

Depending on what your dentist observes during the dental cleaning process, they can recommend further procedures, including:

• Dental sealants to protect your teeth against cavities (highly recommended for children and teenagers)
• Dental X-rays
• Oral cancer screening

Similarly, you may undergo dental treatments like dental fillings if the dentist identifies problems like cavities.

How often should you have dental cleanings?

The American Dental Association recommends going for regular dental cleanings and check-ups. While the ADA doesn’t state the exact frequency, most dental experts recommend at least two dental cleanings per year. People at high risk of dental problems like gum disease and decay should have more frequent cleanings than low-risk people. Consult your dentist near you regarding your dental cleaning appointments.

Benefits of Dental Cleaning

Some of the benefits of regular dental cleanings include:

• It protects you from oral issues like cavities and gum disease.
• It prevents tooth loss.
• It provides a brighter smile.
• It reduces bad breath and bad mouth taste.
• It reduces your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.

Final Verdict

Regular dental cleanings protect you from oral problems like gum disease and cavities. Please remember that regular dental cleanings and good at-home dental hygiene should be used. For more information about dental exams and cleanings in Dover, NH, contact Belknap Dental Associates.