Hygienist Treatments
Working with you on your dental health needs
We all need to visit the dental hygienist regularly. We need to ensure we are on the right track and any issues are tended to straight away. We don’t all need significant restorative treatment, but getting the right preventive care advice is important. Visiting your hygienist is a simple and easy way to achieve and maintain excellent dental health.
Dental hygienists use preventive, educational and therapeutic methods to help prevent oral diseases whilst helping patients to achieve and maintain oral health. They will work with you to determine the best oral hygiene routine for your individual needs.
You don’t need to be a patient of Brooklands Dental Clinic in order to regularly visit our hygienists. Simply ask your own private or NHS dentist to refer you to us via our website or over the phone and we will be happy to see you.
Your First Visit with our hygienists
Your first appointment will involve our hygienist taking some recordings; these range from a pocket chart, if there is sign of extensive gum disease, or a plaque and bleeding score. The latter highlights problem areas. Plaque is prevalent when brushing is inadequate. This usually results in bleeding of the gums. Your hygienist will highlight areas that need more attention and educate the you on how to improve your brushing technique.
Gum disease is the largest factor of tooth loss in adult life. The milder form of gum disease is called Gingivitis. Your gums will be red and swollen and may bleed easily when you brush your teeth (this is often masked by smoking). Around 50% of all pregnant women experience dental problems at some point during their pregnancy. The most common is Gingivitis. Changing hormone levels can make your gums more susceptible to plaque attack. At Brooklands Dental Clinic, we generally recommend routine visits every 6 months for a thorough examination and clean.
The Hygenist Prevention Service
Dental hygienists are specially trained to work with the dentist in giving preventive care to patients. They play an important role in dental health and are mainly concerned with gum health, showing people correct home care and carrying out preventive techniques to the teeth and gums.
The hygienist’s main role is to professionally clean a patient’s teeth. This is usually called a ‘scale and polish’. However, perhaps their most important role is showing the patient the best way to keep their teeth free of plaque and monitoring their success in doing so.
Regular professional cleaning, combined with good home care will help keep your mouth healthy. A clean and healthy mouth will improve your appearance, help you to keep your teeth and give you fresh breath. Recent Research has also found associations between increased plaque within the mouth and conditions such as : heart disease, diabetes, dementia, rheumatoid athritis and premature birth.
Plaque and Calculus
Plaque is an invisible film of bacteria which forms constantly on the teeth and gums. When you eat or drink something, the plaque turns the sugar into acid which causes tooth decay unless removed. Plaque will also cause gum inflammation if it is not regularly and thoroughly removed.
The hard tartar or calculus which builds up on the teeth also started off as plaque.
Diet
Food and drinks containing sugar cause decay. Having sweet things less often will help a lot. Foods such as cheese, fruit, nuts and vegetables make good substitutes.
Fluoride
Fluoride helps teeth resist decay so it is important to brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. If your dentist or hygienist thinks added fluoride would be useful, they may recommend a fluoride gel. They may also suggest fluoride rinses, tablets or drops as an extra help against decay for use at home. Only use these if you have been advised to and follow their instructions carefully.
