The Complete Guide to Eating After Dental Cleaning
What Is Teeth Cleaning?
It is the art of removing food residue, plaque, and tartar from teeth through teeth brushing and flossing. However, teeth cleaning at home and in a dental office are not the same. While both cater to your oral hygiene, professional dental cleaning in a dental clinic is more thorough.
Once you visit a dentist near you for professional dental cleaning, various dental protocols will ensue. They include the following:
- Root planing and scaling – are steps for scraping off plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. Root planing and scaling are crucial for first-time patients who have a severe buildup of tartar on their teeth.
- Teeth brushing – a dentist or dental hygienist will use an electric-powered toothbrush to brush your teeth. The process will be more thorough than your teeth brushing at home. Besides, the dental expert will use special toothpaste packed with components abrasive enough to leave your teeth clean. Besides, teeth brushing will go a long way in removing any discoloring on your teeth, leaving them brighter and whiter than before.
- Dental flossing – when a dentist flosses your teeth, it is different from when you do it at home. The flossing will rid your mouth of plaque and food residues in hard-to-reach parts of your mouth and in between your teeth.
- Rinsing and treating – the dentist will rinse your mouth to remove any loose debris left behind. After that, (s)he will apply a fluoride treatment to enrich your teeth with fluoride, a natural mineral that strengthens teeth. The fluoride treatment will increase your teeth’ resistance to bacteria that cause dental cavities.
Why Should You Get Your Teeth Cleaned?
From far, the benefits of teeth cleaning near you will not be obvious. You have to enquire with a dentist near you to learn about the incredible benefits of professionally cleaning your mouth. Some of those benefits are:
- Boosting oral hygiene – although your dental hygiene routines at home are crucial for maintaining good oral health, you still need dental assistance. A professional cleaning session will remove any residues and plaque in parts of your mouth that you may have missed over time. Besides, getting a professional to clean your teeth every three months acts as a clean slate for you to excel in dental hygiene.
- Identify and detect dental issues early – before dental cleaning begins, the dentist examines and evaluates the state of your oral health. This way, your dentist will detect any anomalies that threaten your dental health.
- Strengthen your teeth – fluoride is necessary for sustaining strong teeth. After your cleaning session, your dentist will apply a fluoride varnish that acts as a layer of protection to your teeth’ enamels, resisting dental cavities.
- Reducing the risk of dental infections – gum diseases and dental cavities are the most common types of oral infections. They occur due to plaque buildup on teeth that happens gradually over time. Teeth cleaning with specialized dental tools targets plaque in different surfaces of your teeth, significantly lowering the risk of dental infections.
Guidelines for Eating After Dental Cleaning
What you eat after visiting a dentist can influence the success of your treatment. After a dental cleaning, your dentist will recommend a couple of food groups to help maintain clean and healthy teeth. The goal is to stick to foods that do not stain your teeth, more so because your teeth will be more permeable after teeth cleaning than before.
- Do not eat anything for the first 30 minutes – the idea is to allow your teeth ample time to absorb as much fluoride as possible before washing it away.
- Avoid highly pigmented foods for the first 6 hours – your teeth will still be porous and greatly likely to absorb stains.
- Eat healthily – sugary foods will not benefit your teeth in the short or long term.
Are There Any Other Rules to Follow Before or After Teeth Cleaning?
Other than watching what you eat, some other rules you should follow are:
- Keep up a healthy dental hygiene routine at home to support your newly clean teeth.
- Follow up with routine dental cleanings every three or so months.
- Change up your toothbrush – it is better to get an electric one after your dental cleaning.