After the cleaning, I feel like I lost more tooth structure
The most common one, and one that also discourages a lot of folks or patients from coming in to get a regular dental cleaning, is, "After the cleaning, I feel like I lost more tooth structure." It's actually not the case because we are professionally trained to make sure that we only remove what needs to be removed.
What needs to be removed during a regular dental cleaning is just the plaque and some tartar buildup, which is above or around the gum line. We do not go deeper than that because it's just a regular cleaning, and your mouth only needs that much to be able to maintain and get to a healthy condition.
If you feel like when you first come in, your tongue feels your teeth have a certain kind of surface, and after the cleaning your tongue starts to feel more of your teeth, you may think, "Oh wow, did some of my tooth structure go away?" It's actually that what you felt was a buildup from plaque or tartar buildup over quite some time, and after the cleaning those plaque and tartar buildups got removed.
Now your tongue is actually able to feel the actual surface, structure, and shape of your real natural teeth. That is something that we always want to make sure we explain very well for the patient so that they can understand.
Is it painful to get a regular dental cleaning?
The second common question would be, is it painful to get a regular dental cleaning? If you have healthy gums and you are coming in regularly, your gums are very tight and healthy, so you should not get a lot of discomfort.
If your gums, on the other hand, have some inflammation, obviously there is going to be some tenderness. The majority of the discomfort does not come from sharp or stabbing pain, but is more about the sensitivity to the temperature of the water. We do know that, and I also try to accommodate our patients by giving them some warmer water. That can help the sensitivity.
I myself have a lot of sensitivity because I have some recession along my gums. When I get my regular dental cleaning, with a good temperature of the water, I feel pretty comfortable. Sometimes there are some areas that are going to be sensitive, but I know that because of the recession that I have, my gum recession is causing me to feel the sensitivity.
But the majority of the time, for a regular dental cleaning, you should not have a lot of discomfort.
How often should I get a regular dental cleaning?
Another question would be, how often should I get a regular dental cleaning? You would hear very commonly that people say, "Oh, I only need to come in two times a year," which is correct. We recommend that you come in every six months to get a regular dental cleaning.
If you need more and your condition gets worse because of a medical condition or some situation happens that causes your gums to get more inflamed and more bleeding, we probably will advise you to come in a little bit more often, maybe about three times a year, just for the regular dental cleaning.
After that condition or medical condition resolves and your gums are back to healthy, then you go back to getting a regular cleaning two times a year.
The appointment probably lasts about 30 minutes. When you come in for your regular dental cleaning, after the cleaning is done, the dentist or your hygienist is also going to polish your teeth, floss, and provide fluoride.
The fluoride at the end of the appointment is something that we recommend for some patients who have a lot of sensitivity during the cleaning because of recession, or they already have gum recession in their mouth, or they have a lot of cavities. We would recommend doing the fluoride treatment. It is basically a vitamin for your teeth that helps with sensitivity and also protects the teeth from cavities.
Will my teeth get whiter?
Another common question would be, will my teeth get whiter? Some patients come in and ask, "I want to get a cleaning to have a brighter smile." It does help because it is actually removing the staining. We spend quite some time removing the build-up from your teeth. However, if your natural tooth structure is a bit darker, we recommend you come in for in-house whitening.
If you’re searching for quality dental care, we’re here to help. Call (253) 544-4073 or email [email protected] to schedule your visit. Our team is committed to keeping your smile healthy.