Regular hygienist visits are essential
With more teeth lost through gum disease rather than tooth decay, regular dental hygienist treatments are essential for healthy gums and teeth. Regular hygienist visits combined with dental checkups and good home-care will greatly improve the appearance of your teeth and your oral health.
Hygienists offer a professional teeth cleaning service called “scaling and polishing”. During the appointment your hygienist will carry out an initial dental hygiene assessment and will:
- Scale your teeth; that is, remove any plaque or tartar build-up over and in between your teeth
- Perform a clean and polish to remove any superficial stains on your teeth
- Give tailored advice on how to care for your teeth and gums properly at home
- Offer advice about diet and how to prevent tooth decay
- Diagnose the presence of gum disease – and, if present we will refer you to an in-house dentist or a specialist periodontist for further treatment
The frequency of hygienist visits will be determined by your clinical needs or your own desire to have your teeth cleaned and polished regularly.
Dentists usually require patients to be seen by the hygienist before commencing treatment, especially for larger fillings, crowns or dental implants.
Many people believe they know how to brush their teeth well, but often miss out on key steps they are reducing how well they can protect against gum disease and tooth decay.
Benefits of seeing the hygienist on a regular basis:
- Hygienists can help maintain brighter, whiter teeth for longer
- Scaling and polishing keeps your mouth will feel fresher for longer – often eliminating bad breath
- Hidden and difficult-to-reach plaque and tartar** is removed from your teeth which in turn will improve the health of your teeth and gums
- Regular visits can reduce the incidence of gum disease provided good oral hygiene at home is also followed
- Your hygienist provides advice on diet and how to care for your teeth and gums properly at home
** Tartar is the hardened layer of bacterial plaque which, if left untreated, will cause bleeding, swelling (gingivitis) and an established infection of the gums. Loss of the supporting bone (that holds teeth in place) is then followed by tooth loss – one of the effects of gum disease.
At Dental Wellbeing, our professional hygienist offers clinical services including
- Scale and polish treatments to remove plaque and tartar
- Our Professional hygienist offers clinical services and advice to help keep gums healthy
- The hygienist can carry out Professional Teeth Whitening provided you undergo a clinical
- checkup with one of our dentists; this is because carrying out teeth whitening on patients with dental disease can cause harm and not all patients are suitable for teeth whitening
- The hygienist gives personalised dental maintenance advice including correct oral hygiene instruction, which together with regular oral hygiene treatment will help maintain a healthy mouth, fresher breath and a brighter smile.
It should be noted that the hygienist role is also to diagnose and assess the level of damaging gum disease (“periodontal disease”) that may be present. The extent of gum disease at this level would not have arisen within a few months and therefore referral in-house for dentist intervention or referral elsewhere to a Periodontal Specialist would be one of the two options available.
Fissure sealant provision ﹀
A simple technique for stopping early tooth decay in older children and young adults is to apply fluoride-releasing ‘fissure sealants’. This painless procedure seals the ‘fissures’, or grooves, found mainly on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. This helps protect the teeth from further decay provided that regular hygiene sessions are attended. The successful application of fissure sealants is technique sensitive and our dentists are able to carry out this procedure in the correct manner.
Together with good oral hygiene and a healthy diet, fissure sealants can help reduce the number fillings you or your child will need.
Bad Breath (Halitosis) ﹀
Bad breath may be caused by a number of health conditions or even simply poor oral hygiene.
When it doesn’t go away (chronic halitosis) this may indicate a specific oral health issue or a condition affecting another part of your body.
Treatment for halitosis depends on the underlying cause.
Common causes :
- Poor oral hygiene – This can include ineffective – brushing, interdental (between the teeth) cleaning and flossing. The build-up of the plaque that causes bad breath causes not only halitosis but can lead to cavities, gum disease and tooth loss.
- Dry mouth – This can result from poor hydration, side effects of medication, smoking or some diseases including Sjogren’s Syndrome (an auto-immune disorder).
- Gum disease (Periodontal disease)- An inflammation of your gums (gingivitis) leads to redness, swelling and bleeding and is caused by a lack of effective brushing and flossing. Left untreated, this leads to periodontal disease, damaging gum tissue and the bone that holds the teeth in place. The usual outcome is foul breath, gum abscesses and tooth loss.
- Diabetes – there is an increased risk of gum disease, especially for uncontrolled diabetics.
- Kidney or Liver disease – toxic substances remain unfiltered and the chemistry of their interactions can result in halitosis.
Treating the underlying cause is the only way to cure halitosis.
Less common causes include gastroesophageal reflux disease (digestive disorders), tonsil stones, and cancers of the head and neck.
Please note: You can schedule an appointment with our hygienist without a checkup. However, it is important to know that the hygienist will remove the tartar, plaque and stains affecting teeth above the gum line only.
We always suggest a full checkup with a dentist follows shortly after.
We offer a confidential service and a safe place for you to discuss this openly.
Book a checkup with the dentist and they will determine the likely cause and create a tailored treatment plan for your specific needs.
Mouthguards
- Our bespoke mouthguards are custom-made to fit your mouth and teeth perfectly.
- They offer the best possible comfort and protection.
- They’re made of stronger materials than over-the-counter varieties and usually last longer.
Mouth guards for sleep apnoea and snoring ﹀
Custom mouth guards for snoring and sleep apnoea (involuntary interrupted breathing during sleep) are designed to keep the airway open during sleep. They have hinges that move the lower jaw forward, preventing it from dropping back and closing your airways. They appear similar to sports guards and fit snugly over the upper and lower teeth.
We can guide you as to the most effective type of your appliance to suit your specific needs.
Night-time Mouth-guards ﹀
We offer a simple way to manage bruxism, the involuntary clenching of the jaws and grinding of the teeth. This usually happens while you sleep, and can lead to:
- aching jaws
- teeth fractures – these lead to root canal treatments, crowns, or loss of the affected teeth
- tooth sensitivity – clenching can result in loss of some areas of enamel from the necks of
- teeth – the exposed dentine can be very sensitive
- broken sleep
- temporal (side of head) headaches
- difficulties chewing certain foods
We can make you a close-fitting comfortable night guard or anti-bruxism appliance.
This is a high grade soft acrylic appliance which fits comfortably over the teeth as you sleep and prevents your teeth from wearing down and its attendant problems.
A proper night guard, along with our advice and techniques, will make bruxism easier to manage.
Sports Mouthguards ﹀
In many contact sports such as rugby and hockey, injury can be prevented through the use of fitted mouth guards. Custom-made mouth guards are ideal for contact sports as they are made to fit around the teeth and gums exactly and therefore offer a more secure fit during use.
We can also personalize sports guards with colours of your choice or the team you support. Our mouth guards are:
- comfortable
- bespoke and close fitting
- allow easy breathing
- offer a high level of protection
- minimize the likelihood of jaw dislocation
- lower the chance of concussion.
