Hygienist Services
Dental hygiene treatment is delivered by a specially trained dental hygienist who will help to remove any hard-to-reach plaque from your teeth that may have built up over time. Here is what you can expect from a hygiene appointment:
​
-
Your teeth and gums will be assessed to determine the amount of plaque removal you will need and risk factors will be highlighted.
-
Your teeth will be professionally cleaned with special equipment and pastes. This process is also known as scaling and polishing.
-
The hygienist's role is to show you how to look after your teeth so that they remain free from plaque in the future. You will be advised on the best tooth brushing technique and given tips on flossing and using interdental brushes.
​
Dental hygiene at our practice also functions preventatively to treat gum disease and bad breath. If you have a bridge, denture, orthodontic treatment or a dental implant you will have specific hygiene needs that the hygienist will be able to assist you with.
​
It is recommended that you come in for regular hygiene appointments to ensure your mouth stays clean and healthy.
Life Benefits
​
-
Minimised risk of tooth loss.
-
Reduced risk of developing tooth decay and need for fillings.
-
Fresh minty breath.
Gum Treatment
​
Over time, even with good teeth cleaning, plaque and tartar/calculus can attach to the teeth similar to lime build-up in a kettle or iron. A build up of plaque and tartar can lead to the poor appearance of teeth, dental decay, gum inflammation and bleeding, gum disease and bad breath. As part of good oral hygiene standards, it is recommended to visit the dentist every six months for teeth cleaning and to check up on your overall oral health. Even those who believe and have been told their oral hygiene is excellent may still need scaling and polishing for hard to reach areas. All of us at some point need to have our teeth scaled of plaque and tartar build-up, and then polished to reduce the rate of further deposits.
​
Gum disease occurs when plaque or calculus invades the root surface of a tooth which lies under the gum level. This in turn irritates and inflames the tooth's supporting structures and can lead to the development of gum pockets and the destruction of a tooth's boney socket. Root planing is used to clean the parts of teeth, which are below the gum-line and cannot be reached with a toothbrush.
​
Root planing is used to clean out the gum 'pockets' and remove plaque and tartar from the tooth roots.
​
What does this treatment involve?
​
This treatment is often done under local anaesthetic dependant on the type of cleaning being done.
​
There are two different tools that are used for Root planing. The hand scaler comes in various sizes and shapes to enable your dentist to reach all parts of the tooth and to ensure that the tooth and its root are completely clean. The ultrasonic scaler is then used, which vibrates with water. The water circulates around the mouth to thoroughly clean out the mouth, which is then removed using suction.
​
After this treatment, you will need to be careful when cleaning the teeth above the gum-line, as the Root planing should cause the gum pocket to shrink, resulting in the gum sitting closer to the tooth
​
This treatment is generally repeated on a regular basis
What are the benefits?
​
Root planing is beneficial, as it stops gum disease from getting worse and can prevent tooth loss.
​
Although this treatment can help you to keep your mouth clean and healthy at home, you should not solely rely on this treatment for keeping your mouth healthy. However, it is important that you maintain a healthy mouth.
​
Our team of expert dentists will use state of the art periodontal equipment with or without local anaethetic (depending on the the type of treatment being given) to gently but thoroughly remove the plaque, calculus and stains that have built up on your teeth both above and below the gum level. A small gentle rubber cup or brush is then used with a fine polishing paste to give your teeth a natural and polished appearance after they have been scaled. Our dentists firmly believe that prevention of disease is crucial to health and will therefore spend time showing you how to remove the plaque and prevent stains yourself.