Removing tartar can be painful if there is a large amount of tartar, if the gums are inflamed and / or the teeth are tender. Anesthesia is used whenever the patient feels the need for it. Anesthetic is applied to the gums using a topical anesthetic or a more effective local anesthetic.
Many patients experience slight teeth sensitivity after a dental cleaning visit. This is because the removal of the tartar leaves the enamel more exposed. While this is a good thing, air and hot and cold temperatures can cause sensitivity while the patient adjusts to the new feeling after a dental cleaning.
Once that buildup is removed, in comparison, your teeth feel loose. But that doesn't make them likely to fall out! In spite of that increased feeling of looseness, removing the plaque and tartar buildup helps your gums and roots to reattach to your teeth, creating better oral health for you!
By removing the infection and tartar, the dentist smoothens the roots, allowing your gums to heal around the teeth. Your gums will heal in approximately 5 days, which will lead to significant tightening.
In most cases, your gum tissue will not come back once you've lost it. It's gone for good. However, this doesn't mean you're completely out of luck. With the right periodontal treatment, you may be able to halt the progression of gum recession.
One of the biggest reasons why individuals have discomfort after a dental cleaning is that they have general tooth sensitivity. The primary cause of tooth sensitivity is when the gums have pulled back, or receded, and exposed the underlying root of the tooth. Our teeth are covered by a hard enamel that protects them.
Regular cleaning removes plaque and tartar from above the gumline. A deep cleaning, on the other hand, removes plaque and tartar from below the gumline. Gum disease causes a space or gap between your teeth and gums, where tartar and plaque can become trapped.
For some, the “weird” feeling may be a sense of cleanliness by not having a film of plaque on their teeth. For others, they may experience temporary tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity most often occurs after a dentist performs a deep cleaning which involves more contact with a patient's gums than regular cleaning.
Sensitivity after a deep clean
During a deep clean, your dentist will remove plaque and tartar above and below the gumline. After deep cleaning, your gums may feel tender and your teeth may feel sensitive for up to a week.
Removing tartar can be painful if there is a large amount of tartar, if the gums are inflamed and / or the teeth are tender. Anesthesia is used whenever the patient feels the need for it. Anesthetic is applied to the gums using a topical anesthetic or a more effective local anesthetic.
The combination of poking and prodding, strange noises, slight pain or discomfort causes apprehension –sometimes for good reason. However, what most people don't realise is that having your plaque removed is a quick and painless procedure.
If the dentist or dental hygienist spots tartar on the surface of the teeth, they will remove it with an instrument called a scaler. A scaler is a device that has a hook on the end of it, and it is used to remove tartar above and below the gum line.
Let the pros take tartar off your teeth
If you have an excessive amount of tartar that has caused gum disease, your dentist may recommend a deep cleaning that involves scaling and root planing. Plaque and tartar are removed both above and below the gumline (in the pockets where the gum has come away from the tooth).
Once tartar has formed, only a dental professional will be able to remove it from your teeth. So, visit your dentist every 6 months to remove any plaque and tartar that might have formed and to prevent further problems.
Bacteria in plaque produce acids after you eat or drink. These acids can destroy tooth enamel and cause cavities and gingivitis (gum disease). Plaque can also develop under the gums on tooth roots and break down the bones that support teeth. Untreated plaque can harden into tough-to-remove tartar.
When plaque builds up on your teeth, it eats away the enamel, causing cavities and decay. Plaque buildup can even cause gingivitis or severe periodontal (gum) disease. If the plaque becomes tartar, its bacteria can cause bad breath and turn your teeth yellow.
If not removed, the tartar will eventually become calcified, which is to say it will harden into a brittle layer. This hardened tartar is known as dental calculus. Bits of this calcified tartar may break off and enter the digestive system and further on into the person's blood.
A typical dental tartar removal cost usually between $75 and $200, depending on the dentist and the type of cleaning necessary. However, the cost of dental cleaning is often covered by dental insurance.
Roughly 70 percent of adults have tartar on their teeth, but the unsightly brown and yellow appearance is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Left unchecked, tartar can lead to a variety of ailments like tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. It's important to prevent and remove tartar from teeth once it occurs.
Like plaque, tartar can contribute to developing gingivitis and periodontal disease. But unlike plaque, simple brushing and flossing won't do much to remove tartar. Tartar fuses to the enamel of your teeth, making it a permanent dental issue that only a professional can remove.
On average, the professional cleaning portion of the dental checkup will take between 30 minutes and an hour. The length of the cleaning really depends on the health of the teeth and the amount of plaque buildup that needs to be removed. On average, an entire routine appointment usually takes an hour to 90 minutes.
Thus, the conclusion is that that you should not scrape off tartar at home. It is dangerous and can cause problems worse than tartar buildup. Going to the dentist is the best option if you want to get scraping or scaling done.
Teeth are very strong, so they shouldn't be able to break — but tartar will. The colour is also a good indication of what the chipped piece is: if it's partly brown or black, it's probably tartar.
When plaque is left untreated, it hardens and discolors, forming into tartar. Tartar is terrible for the teeth and gums. It is not only unsightly, but leads to the decay of teeth by building up and growing bacteria which eat away at the lining of the teeth known as enamel.
Tartar is mostly mineralized dead bacteria, along with a small amount of mineralized proteins from saliva. Chemically, tartar is made of calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate and magnesium phosphate. It can form at and underneath the gum line and can exasperate gum tissues.