Is It Normal to Have Pain After a Dental Cleaning?

So, you went to the dentist for a checkup and a routine cleaning, but when you got home, you started noticing pain in your teeth. You may also be experiencing sensitivity. For instance, extremely hot or cold liquid makes your teeth feel achy or whenever you bite down on something hard, you feel a quick jolt of pain. Well, this is all normal, especially if you haven’t gone to a dentist in a while. Many people get back home from a seemingly routine dental appointment and then start complaining of having new sources of pain in their teeth. However, there is a perfectly plausible explanation for all of this.

If you haven’t been to a dentist in a while or if you haven’t had your teeth cleaned in a long time, there is good chance that you will experience tooth pain afterwards. Our teeth start to become accustomed to a certain routine of hygiene, but if anything gets in the way of that routine, it can disrupt the natural flow of things. There are a number of reasons why this happens and one of the biggest reasons is that a dentist will remove much of the plaque that has building up on your teeth.

Yes, plaque is a bad thing – it has probably already caused a few cavities. However, plaque can also serve as a protectant barrier against your enamel if it hasn’t been removed in a long time. Basically, plaque – even though it is bad – can become like a second layer of enamel. When it is removed, the actual layer of enamel can be a lot more sensitive. Basically, it will take a while for the nerves to get completely accustomed to the feeling of not having second protective barrier. After a few weeks, your pain will subside.

Not only that, but a dentist uses heavy-duty tools to remove plaque and tartar. This can also make your teeth very sensitive. Every time your dentist scrapes his or her tools against your teeth, it can affect the nerves. It can also make your teeth more sensitive to hard foods and different temperatures. If you experience pain when you eat or drink something that is extremely cold, there is a good chance that you are experiencing this increased sensitivity.

Lastly, if you are worried about the pain and it seems like it isn’t going away, you may want to visit a dentist. If you don’t want to go to the same dentist, you may want to visit another clinic, like Long Prairie Dental – a clinic that has a reputation for excellent service when it comes to patient care. There could be a number of rare circumstances, like a filling has fallen out during the cleaning process or there is a cavity that your dentist did not catch. When it comes to your oral hygiene and dental health – if you are feeling extreme pain, it should be cause for concern and you should call your dentist to explain your symptoms. Yet, if the pain is minor and dull, it will probably go away in only a couple of days.