As Dr. Chang of Dental Restorative Group has learned over his years of practice, dental anxiety is real. Whether a Belmont dental patient had a bad experience with a dentist as a child, has read a scary story on the Internet, or is just generally more sensitive to touch, he understands that some of his patients are worried that their routine dental cleaning will be painful.
Rest assured, Dr. Chang and his team of dentists and dental hygienists work diligently and gently with their Belmont patients to provide them thorough dental cleanings while easing anxiety and providing a pain-free experience. While depending on your sensitivity tolerance, the health of your gums or other dental issues you may have could perhaps lead to some discomfort; the Dental Restorative Group team works to make you as relaxed and comfortable as possible during your appointment.
Aspects of a Dental Cleaning That May Feel More Sensitive to Others
While most patients don’t describe the following aspects of a routine dental cleaning as “painful,” the following steps of a tooth cleaning may be more sensitive to some Belmont dental patients. These include:
The Scraping of Plaque and Tartar from Your Teeth and Gums
Bacteria from the food we eat builds up in our mouths, causing plaque. Most Belmont residents are able to brush and floss plaque away when they brush their teeth twice daily and floss once a day. But if you don’t practice proper oral hygiene, or you are just prone to plaque buildup, plaque on your teeth can turn into tartar, which you can’t treat at home.
The only way to remove tartar is to have your dental hygienist scrape it away with a dental instrument called a scaler. While this process isn’t painful, you may experience pressure against your teeth as your hygienist scrapes away tartar, especially if you have heavy buildup.
If you find this pressure uncomfortable, the best thing you can do to prevent experiencing it again is to practice proper oral hygiene in between your biannual teeth cleanings.
Flossing Your Teeth
If your gums are typically red, swollen, bleed, or are otherwise sensitive, then you may find that they feel even more sensitive when your hygienist flosses your teeth after having brushed them with a rotating toothbrush. Flossing is an important step of routine teeth cleaning because it helps your hygienist remove any buildup that is revealed after your teeth are professionally brushed. Most of the time, the reason patients experience sensitivity when their dental hygienist is flossing their teeth is that the patients haven’t been flossing every day at home.
Tell Us if You Have Dental Anxiety
If you have a fear of going to the dentist, we want to know so we can help alleviate your worries and make you as comfortable as possible during your appointment at our Belmont office. Oftentimes, many patients find relief from anxiety when their hygienist simply informs them which teeth cleaning step he or she is going to perform before doing so. Finding relief from your dental anxiety can be as simple as open communication!
If you have any other questions about your oral health, or what type of routine treatments you should receive, our office team is happy to answer your questions.
Simply call us today to ask your questions or schedule your next teeth cleaning appointment at (617) 489-1470.
