Like any dental procedure, you may experience some pain, swelling, and soreness afterwards, and you may be numb from the local anesthetic for the rest of the day following your appointment. You may lean towards a soft food diet for several days after having your teeth deep cleaned since your gums will be tender.
Will a Deep Cleaning Hurt? You may experience some discomfort during the procedure, but we'll use anesthesia to minimize pain. After the procedure, you may experience some sensitivity or soreness, but this should subside within a few days.
The Bottom Line on Pain and Discomfort
This procedure is not considered painless. However, it is not particularly painful. It can be uncomfortable and cause sensitivity and tenderness to the gums. This is an expected result from having the scaling and planing procedure.
On average, it takes anywhere from 5 to 7 days for the gums to heal after a deep cleaning. While your mouth is healing, you may experience some bleeding and swelling of the gums. Teeth are likely to be sensitive, as their roots have recently been exposed.
Within a week the gums will start to heal and reattach to the roots of the teeth. The initial discomfort should be gone. Full recovery and reattachment can take up to 6 or 8 weeks, but patients are usually back to normal eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing within the first week.
Most patients respond very well to deep cleaning and, with good after care, see rapid improvement in the condition of their gums. Over time, pockets will shrink and your gums will be restored.
It depends on how severe the receding gums are, as if they are only minimally receded, then the gums will reattach themselves to the teeth. While any gum loss experienced due to gum disease will not grow back, the majority of patients can expect their gums to reattach after undergoing a deep cleaning.
The disadvantages of deep cleaning teeth include nerve damage and potential infections if you have a compromised immune system. The cleaning might cause pain, and sensitivity in the treatment doesn't guarantee reattachment of your gums to the teeth. The cleaning might even cause further gum recession.
In short, not only will your teeth not fall out following a deep cleaning, but they will be healthier, stronger, and your smile will look better, too.
Periodontitis associated with endodontic processes, necrotizing periodontal disorders, desquamative gingivitis, gingival recession, and mucogingival herpetic lesions, cause mild to severe pain due to tissue destruction and loss.
Deep cleaning removes the build-up of tartar below the gum line. The treatment is done under local anesthetic. It does not hurt but the gums can feel sore afterwards.
Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing, also known as a deep cleaning, is done when patients are showing signs of periodontal disease.
On the other hand, some patients experience pain during and after the in-depth dental deep cleaning process. One's experience is mostly based on the depth of the gum pockets and the severity of the root surface irregularities. Pain is usually inevitable if the periodontal pockets are deep.
Preparing for your deep teeth cleaning appointment
Clean the mouth before the appointment: Brushing teeth and disinfecting the mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash helps reduce the risk of infection.
You can expect swelling and pain for a few days or weeks because the deep cleaning process leaves your gums sensitive. You can use ice packs on your cheeks to manage the swelling.
With gum disease, you won't keep your teeth for long. In fact, unlike tooth decay which impacts your smile one tooth at a time, periodontitis can cause you to lose multiple, if not all, teeth at once. Gum disease starts small as a mild form called gingivitis.
A deep teeth cleaning should take between 1-4 hours. First, your hygienist will numb you by injecting a local anesthetic. Sometimes, the hygienist will need one hour per quadrant to do the proper scaling and root planing of all the root surfaces in one quadrant.
Deep scaling is only done when gum disease is present. Typically in the early stages of gum disease, damage can be reversed with a professional deep cleaning. The goal of deep scaling and root planning is to treat periodontitis, or gum disease, causing the disease to go into remission.
You can have deep cleanings whenever it feels necessary. Still, make sure you have at least two dental cleanings per year. Deep cleanings are for patients with oral issues like gum disease and tooth decay every three months.
Avoid spicy and hard foods after deep cleaning. Hard foods can irritate already tender gum tissues as you chew, leading to increased pain and discomfort. Dentists also recommend avoiding acidic, spicy, or small foods that can get stuck in the gums like popcorn.
“To eliminate bacterial levels and prevent bone loss, deep cleaning should be performed.” Elson adds that there are also connections between periodontal disease and systemic diseases in other parts of the body like the heart and lungs.
If all plaque and tartar have been fully removed, your gum health will gradually improve and your gums may naturally reattach to your teeth. However, practicing poor nutrition and poor oral hygiene following deep cleaning may prevent the gums from reattaching.
Avoid acidic fruits like tomatoes and oranges for two days after treatment. Say no to spicy food. You can start on the peppers 48 hours after the cleaning. Avoid anything alcohol for two days to ensure proper healing.
Sadly, it's not yet possible to stimulate the bone to regrow and rebuild the lost bone around the teeth. However, by developing good oral hygiene further bone loss can be prevented and advanced dental procedures available to replace the bone.