If you haven’t had a dental checkup lately, you may feel worried about your next one. Time away from the dentist can make you think regular teeth cleanings hurt a lot. With that said, you have no reason to fear; your upcoming visit will likely be comfortable. Your Castle Rock dentist will even make sure of that with helpful pointers. So, keep reading to learn what teeth cleanings involve, whether they hurt, and how to prevent teeth cleaning discomfort.
Context: What Do Teeth Cleanings Involve?
A “professional” teeth cleaning can sound complex at first. However, it’s just a more advanced version of your oral care at home.
Teeth cleaning by a dental team always involves specific key steps. For starters, the hygienist will use precise tools to scrape and chip away at your smile’s plaque deposits. (Said deposits can be hard to reach, existing between your teeth and near the gumline.) They’ll then polish your teeth with a special instrument that makes your enamel stronger and brighter. Finally, the hygienist will employ a string of floss to remove your grin’s remaining debris.
In most cases, a teeth cleaning is followed by a brief Q&A period. This time lets you ask questions and get advice for your oral hygiene routine.
Do Teeth Cleanings Hurt?
An ideal teeth cleaning shouldn’t hurt your mouth at all. However, your own may cause minor aches and pains if you’re unlucky.
Teeth cleanings are invasive when you don’t get them often. If done too rarely, each has a high risk of irritating your sensitive teeth and gum tissues. This irritation often hurts and features other symptoms like bleeding, swelling, and so on. Such effects come from your body’s immune system overreacting to external forces.
Despite these points, dentists do everything possible to make cleaning painless. They don’t apply unnecessary force during plaque removal, and they avoid upsetting your gums as best they can.
How to Prevent Teeth Cleaning Discomfort
If there’s any good news, it’s that you can prevent teeth cleaning discomfort. You just need to use the following tricks:
- Brush & Floss Often – You’ll keep your mouth fairly clean by brushing and flossing daily. That tidiness will make your next cleaning less invasive.
- Take Pain Medicine First – As a precaution, take over-the-counter pain medicine before your cleaning. Doing so will ensure your dental visit goes smoothly and painlessly.
- Ask for Anesthesia – If available, ask your dentist for anesthesia before the cleaning starts. This substance would numb your mouth for the session.
- Get the Right Hygienist – You don’t want the hygienist to tread too lightly and not clean your smile well. Still, you also don’t want them to be rough or cause discomfort.
Whether teeth cleanings hurt is up to you. Given that fact, use the tips above to prepare for your dental checkup.
About the Practice
Smile Castle Rock is based in Castle Rock, CO. Led by Drs. Gary Radz and Glenn Thompson, our practice combines expert dental care with a warm and gentle approach. You can trust us to tailor our preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments to your smile’s specific needs. That way, your grin is sure to get proper help and thrive for years to come! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (303)-663-9600.