If you’re heading to the dentist for a regular
cleaning treatment, you should expect your teeth to feel sensitive afterward, especially
if a deep cleaning was performed. These sensations will fade over time, leaving
your gums and teeth healthier. However, if your teeth continue feeling
sensitive longer than usual after a treatment, your dental professional can
offer some advice and help, which will likely include the following tips.
Deep
Cleaning Treatment
When rough
bacteria like tartar calcify on the teeth, a deep cleaning treatment is the best
method for eliminating the issue. Tartar develops near or on the gum line, and
your dentist or a dental hygienist reacts by removing it via certain tools during
a process known as scaling. The hygienist could also use root planing, a
process that involves using tools between the tooth roots and gums and removing
tartar and plaque from the tooth’s root surfaces.
Prior
to deep-cleaning sessions, the gums might be swollen and inflamed, and there
may be deep, bacteria-infected pockets. Both root planing and scaling help in treating
these issues, but they can also cause natural bleeding and discomfort. The
dentist can offer local anesthetics if the deep cleaning treatment is more
likely to be irritating.
The
Next Stage
General
soreness, bleeding gums, and sensitive teeth are fairly normal after a deep
cleaning treatment. Some of the effects are the result of the actual cleaning
tools touching the inflamed, easy-to-bleed gums. Another side effect is freshly
exposed parts of your teeth that were covered with plaque and tartar previously.
With the gums having receded, removing the tartar exposes the tooth’s roots,
and it can take a while for the tooth to get used to it. These spots aren't protected
by enamel, this making them more sensitive.
Sensitive
Teeth
Per
the American Dental Association, uncomfortable, sensitive, and bleeding teeth
after a deep cleaning shouldn’t last more than one week. Tender, bleeding, or
swollen gums improve overtime gradually as long as you brush both regularly and
carefully. For most dental patients, however, general discomfort from a dental
cleaning disappears over one to two days. Sensitivity in the teeth is simply more
difficult to avoid in your regular daily life, especially when you eat or drink
cold or hot foods and liquids, bite down, and brush. However, as stated
previously, it should only be an issue for a one week at most.
Tooth
Care After a Deep Cleaning
Taking
proper care of the teeth following your deep cleaning can greatly help the gums
heal, because it reduces the usual triggers for sensitivity and pain. You
should wait about 24 hours before you floss, and you should brush your teeth very
carefully using a toothbrush with soft bristles while the gums are sore. Use
toothpaste for your sensitive teeth in order to treat and help prevent
sensitivity. Also, try to avoid liquids or foods that could set off
sensitivity. If your teeth remain sensitive three to four weeks following the treatment
or if you have additional concerns, you should contact your dental
professional, who can check to see how the healing is progressing.
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