To maintain good oral health, the American Dental Association recommends two visits per year to your dentist for teeth cleaning. If you’ve put those visits off, you may need deep teeth cleaning to clear away all the plaque and tartar. Does teeth cleaning hurt? Teeth cleaning costs are low compared to the procedures you need if you develop periodontal disease. Come and see your local Bronx Dentist in the Bronx for painless dental cleaning.

You may have good dental health habits. You may brush twice a day and floss once a day, like you’re supposed to. You may watch what you eat and avoid sugary drinks, candy and heavy starches. But even if you do all this, you still need to see your dentist (conveniently open on Saturday) twice a year for an examination and cleaning. You should also make an appointment if you feel any tooth pain.

Even with good brushing and flossing habits, only your dentist can remove the built-up plaque from your teeth to avoid gingivitis, which is the first stage of periodontitis. Your family dentist at Dentist in the Bronx makes your visit as pleasant as possible, so you never have to ask, “Does teeth cleaning hurt?” You’ll already know because your dentist explains the process before starting.

It Starts with an Examination

When you arrive for your appointment, your dental hygienist:

• Inspects your mouth
• Takes X-rays, if necessary
• Performs the initial cleaning

You don’t need local anesthetic for this process, as the hygienist isn’t doing a deep teeth cleaning, only a surface cleaning of teeth above your gum line. After scraping away the plaque and checking the pockets between your teeth — the space between your teeth and gums — your dentist arrives for an inspection.

He reviews your X-rays and checks your teeth, gums and soft tissue. He feels your facial bones and asks you some questions about your dental habits and history. If you’ve been keeping up with your oral hygiene, all you may need at this point is a fluoride treatment and a polishing. If, however, there’s evidence of periodontal disease, an infection or something worse, you may need a deep teeth cleaning.

When You Need Deep Teeth Cleaning

Usually, the reason for getting a deep teeth cleaning is to clear away plaque and tartar that has found its way under your gum line. Plaque is the film that coats your teeth from leftover food. It attracts bacteria, which harden the plaque into tartar while producing acid that eats away at your tooth enamel. Tartar is difficult to remove, and it leads to more tooth decay, eventually forming a cavity.

If left untreated, plaque and tartar can cause tooth pain and infected gums. A deep tooth cleaning isn’t a painless process, but a top Bronx dental team relies on sedation dentistry and local anesthesia to make your treatment as painless as possible.

Does Teeth Cleaning Hurt?

A regular cleaning doesn’t hurt. It may be a bit uncomfortable, as you sit in the dentist’s chair with your mouth open. But you don’t need sedation or a local anesthetic. During this procedure, your hygienist merely scrapes the soft plaque from your teeth. When you have no tartar, the cleaning is easy — on you, on the hygienist and on your pocketbook, since teeth cleaning costs are minimal when you’re healthy.

A deep teeth cleaning, however, requires cleaning your teeth below the gum line, where your mouth is sensitive. Your local Bronx dentist gives you a local anesthetic to numb the pain and make you as comfortable as possible during the procedure. The deep teeth cleaning procedure involves:

• Scaling or root planing. In this procedure, your Bronx dentist (open on Sundays) files down the part of your teeth below the gum line. The goal is to make the roots of your teeth smooth, so that bacteria have fewer places to hide.
• Checking for periodontal disease. If your gums are really starting to pull away from your teeth, it’s a sign of a serious dental problem. Your dentist inspects your teeth and gums for infection that can lead to an abscess.
• Removing bacteria. Your dentist does his best to remove the bacteria present in the pockets between your teeth and gums. If there are signs of an infection, you may need a round of antibiotics.

After Your Teeth Cleaning

Keep taking care of your teeth every day. Visit your dentist at least twice a year to get a checkup and cleaning. Only your dentist can make sure your teeth are clean and cavity-free. And the teeth cleaning cost is a pittance compared to the price of more extensive dental work, like fillings, crowns and bridges.

And if you work through the weekdays and are unable to make it to your dentist Monday through Friday, Dentist in the Bronx offers Saturday dentist hours and Sunday dentist hours. Your dentist wants to keep your smile beautiful and healthy. A bi-annual exam and teeth cleaning is the best way to begin.