How long does a dental cleaning take?

Clean, white teeth, fresh breath, and a wide smile: The winning formula for a happy face. And to make our smiles perfect, we should pay attention to dental cleanings. Therefore, today we write about what is and how long does a dental cleaning take.

What Is Dental Cleaning?

Each time we brush our teeth, it can be considered as a cleaning activity. However, no matter how often and how well we brush our teeth at home, which toothbrush and toothpaste we use, and whether we use floss or not, there will always be some plaque and tartar left on our "clean teeth". It is impossible to truly get them clean without a professional dental cleaning procedure.

Therefore, to be sure that you have clean teeth, it is very important to regularly have a professional teeth cleaning done by your dentist. A professional dental cleaning is a preventive procedure with the aim to clear your teeth of any plaque, tartar, or other impurities and to protect your teeth from potential cavities or recession that otherwise would develop.

How long does a dental cleaning take?

The simple answer to the question, “How long does a dental cleaning take?” is, “It generally takes between 30 minutes and one hour”.

A more accurate answer would be that “The cleaner your teeth are, the shorter the dental cleaning procedure will take.” So, if you have not recently had a professional cleaning (in the past six months to one year), you might want to plan that your first appointment will take a bit longer than your second or third one.

Why Are Dental Cleanings Important?

There is no true “good health” without good oral health. Even if you have clean and healthy teeth today, you still must be diligent with your dental home-care-routine (twice a day using an electric tooth brush, waterpik and flossing tight areas) and make time in your schedule to accommodate regular future cleanings (every six months). This will help avoid any troubles and pain in the future.
Dental cleanings are important as they represent the best preventive measure to take if you want to have clean teeth and healthy teeth. Almost all other procedures provided by your dentist are related to fixing broken or unhealthy teeth, and we all know how painful and expensive such procedures can be. Therefore, you have no reason to not maintain regular professional dental cleaning appointments.

How Often Should You Have a Dental Cleaning?

As a preventive measure for good oral and overall health, professional dental cleanings should be performed regularly.

Generally, it is recommended to have a dental cleaning once every six months. In most cases, this should be enough to ensure you have clean and healthy teeth.
However, for some patients, frequency recommendations may vary depending on your eating habits, history of dental cleanings (If historically they were infrequent) and your lifestyle. For example, if you do not brush and floss your teeth correctly and frequently, you often times eat fast food and have an acidic diet, you are likely to be recommended to have a professional teeth cleaning more often (every three or four months).

When determining how often you should have a dental cleaning, it is best to consult with your dentist who will assess the condition of your dental health and make a recommendation on your specific needs. And of course, it is always important to adjust your eating habits and lifestyle, in a way to be more healthy and beneficial to your teeth and dental health.

Are dental cleanings painful?

The right answer to this question should be NO, dental cleaning should not be painful. In the worst case, they can be only a bit unpleasant to patients taking a professional dental cleaning procedure for the first time, or after a long time who are not used to having professional teeth cleaning.
It is best to prepare before the dental cleaning procedure by consulting with your dentist on what he or she expects that the procedure will consist of, as this depends a lot on the condition of your teeth and gums and the amount of plaque and tartar that will need to be removed.

Teeth sensitivity after a dental cleaning?

It is quite common and expected for your teeth and gums to experience some sensitivity after a dental cleaning, especially if you are having the professional dental cleaning for the first time or after a long time and your teeth and gums are not used to being touched.
However, all of these symptoms should disappear a few days after the procedure was performed. If you feel pain or have any similarly uncomfortable feelings for longer than a week, you should consult with your dentist whether some additional measures are required.

Is dental cleaning worth the effort?

In today's world, dental health and dental hygiene are something that each one of us should pay very close attention to. In recent years we have discovered the very close connection between overall health and dental health. It’s no surprise that a clean healthy smile is one of the most attractive aspects a person can have. Modern dental medicine can almost perform miracles, but such procedures are often complex and very expensive and if addressed regularly, there would be no need for such measures. There is an easier way to have a beautiful healthy smile and that is regular preventative cleanings.

Taking regular preventive measures, such as regular dental appointments and having regular professional dental cleaning procedures is the best and cheapest way to have a healthy smile and a happy face.

Therefore, do not wait, schedule your dental cleaning appointment today!