Sensitive teeth after a cleaning: why it happens and how long it lasts

What’s probably going on

Under your enamel is a softer layer called dentin. It’s full of tiny channels that lead toward the nerve. When dentin is uncovered, cold, air and sweets can reach the nerve and cause a sharp zing.

A cleaning can uncover it in a few ways:

• Tartar was covering it. Hard tartar near the gumline can sit over the root surface like a lid. Once it’s scraped off, that surface meets cold air and ice water again.
• Your gums shrink back after a deep cleaning. A deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) reaches below the gumline. If your gums were swollen before, they shrink back as they heal, and you may see a little more of the roots.
• Your gums are sore. Gums that were poked and cleaned can be tender for a couple of days, and that can make the whole area feel touchier.

Cleveland Clinic lists cleanings among the treatments that can cause short-term sensitivity. It usually means something was removed, not that something was damaged.

Regular cleaning vs deep cleaning

A regular cleaning removes plaque and tartar on the teeth and just at the gumline, then polishes them. A deep cleaning goes further below the gums to clean out pockets caused by gum disease. It’s usually done with numbing, sometimes over two visits.

A deep cleaning usually leaves teeth more sensitive, for longer, than a regular one.

How long it usually lasts

• After a regular cleaning: sensitive teeth or sore gums usually go away in a few days, according to Cleveland Clinic.
• After a deep cleaning: the American Dental Association says you may have pain for a day or two and sensitivity for up to a week. Cleveland Clinic says that if your teeth do become more sensitive to heat and cold, it should go away in a month or two.

So expect up to a week of zings after a deep cleaning, and possibly some mild sensitivity for a few weeks after that. It should get steadily better, not worse.

What to do tonight

These steps often make the first few days more comfortable.

1. Switch to a sensitivity toothpaste. Brush with it twice a day, and make sure it reaches the sensitive spots near the gumline.
2. Spit, don’t rinse. After brushing, spit out the extra toothpaste but skip the water rinse, so the fluoride stays on your teeth longer. The ADA gives the same advice.
3. Use a soft brush and a light touch. Brush gently, angled toward the gumline. Scrubbing hard wears the surface you’re trying to protect.
4. Keep flossing, gently. Sore gums are tempting to skip, but cleaning between your teeth helps them heal.
5. Go easy on triggers for a few days. Ice water, very cold food and acidic drinks such as citrus or soda are the usual culprits. Room-temperature water is easier.
6. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever if your gums are sore. Use it as the label directs, and ask a pharmacist first if you take other medicines, are pregnant, or have stomach, kidney or bleeding problems.

For help choosing a paste, see the best toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

What not to do

• Don’t stop brushing the sensitive area. Plaque left near the gumline keeps the gums irritated, and gums heal better when they’re kept clean.
• Don’t scrub harder. Brushing hard wears enamel and can make gums pull back, which adds to sensitivity.
• Don’t use a sensitivity toothpaste for months to cover a problem. A leading brand’s label says to stop and see a dentist if sensitivity persists after four weeks of use, or gets worse.

When it’s something else

Cleaning sensitivity is usually a brief zing that fades in seconds and eases a little more each day. Call your dentist if it doesn’t follow that pattern.

• Pain that lingers more than 30 seconds after cold or heat can mean the nerve is damaged, often from deep decay. See tooth sensitive to cold.
• One tooth that hurts more than the rest, especially with sweets or biting, can be a cavity or a crack the cleaning made easier to feel. See tooth hurts when you eat sweets and cracked tooth.
• Swelling, bleeding that won’t stop, or pain that medicine doesn’t help after a deep cleaning are reasons to call the office that did it.
• Pain in one spot of the gum, with a bad taste or a bump, can be something stuck or an infection. See gum pain around one tooth.

How a dentist fixes it, and what it costs

Most cleaning sensitivity fades by itself. If it hangs on, your dentist looks for the cause and has a few options.

• A fluoride gel in the office. It strengthens enamel and dulls the sensation.
• Bonding. A thin tooth-colored coating can cover a sensitive spot.
• A gum graft. If gum has pulled back a lot, a graft can cover and protect the root.
• Fixing what the cleaning revealed. A cavity gets a filling; a crack may need a crown.

The price depends on which of these you need, where you live and your coverage. Ask for a written estimate before any work starts. For what the cleanings themselves cost, see dental cleaning cost.

If you don’t have dental insurance, a dental savings plan (a discount membership, not insurance) can cut the price at participating dentists.

How to keep it from coming back

The best way to avoid a rough cleaning is to have less tartar and healthier gums going in.

• Brush twice a day with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste, with gentle strokes.
• Clean between your teeth once a day, so plaque doesn’t harden into tartar below the gumline.
• Keep your regular cleanings. Most dentists recommend one every six months, and some people need them more often.
• After a deep cleaning, go to the follow-up visit so your dentist can check that the gums are healing.
• Tell your hygienist if cleanings make your teeth sensitive, and ask whether an in-office fluoride treatment could help.
• If sensitivity toothpaste helped, you can keep using it; it contains fluoride too.