You should have your teeth cleaned at least once a year for healthy adults, although a routine dental cleaning and examination every six months is preferable. If you have a chronic medical condition (such as diabetes), take medication (especially those that contribute to xerostomia, or dry mouth), wear braces, are prone to poor dietary (sugary or high-carb snacks between meals) or lifestyle habits (smoking), or simply have a mouth that is smaller and more difficult to clean, it is recommended you get checked up on more regularly.

Yes, you should still get your teeth professionally cleaned. Even with regular brushing and flossing — and good technique with both — the vast majority of people fail to clear away all the plaque that builds up on and between teeth. Once that hardens into dental calculus or tartar, no amount of brushing or flossing can remove it. Only the specialized tools and equipment of a dental hygienist can loosen, rinse, and suction it away.

One reason your teeth are so sensitive after a teeth cleaning is dental cleaning tools making contact with gum surfaces, especially puffy or swollen gums, leading to sensitivity or bleeding. Once teeth have been properly scaled of calculus/tartar, tooth structure that may have not been exposed in “many moons” will be experiencing sensation directly for the first time in a while, it will need time to adjust. Exposed tooth roots near the gumline are especially susceptible to sensitivity. 

You can eat and drink immediately after having your teeth cleaned, unless you’ve received a fluoride treatment, which needs at least half an hour to settle and seal around your teeth to maximize its enamel-fortifying benefits. Nonetheless, take care with what you eat or drink after a professional dental cleaning, as your teeth will likely be sensitive to hot, cold, spicy, crunchy, or acidic foods. If you’re thirsty, drink water. If you’re hungry, opt for soft foods served near room temperature.

Whiter teeth are an ancillary benefit of a routine dental cleaning, but not its goal — for that you may want to invest in our Lifetime Whitening Program.  Nonetheless, after we’re done buffering away tartar (which may take on a yellowish or greenish tinge) and polishing your teeth, they may very well look whiter and brighter than when you walked in!