Dental hygienists and dental therapists are specially trained to work with the dental team with preventing and treating oral disease. Many are dual qualified as both a dental hygienist and dental therapist.
A dental hygienist is a professional when it comes to cleaning teeth. They have the skills, experience, equipment and instruments to clean each tooth thoroughly. They also have more time to clean your mouth fully, give advice on oral hygiene and are best equipped to help you keep your mouth healthy. Hygienists can also remove staining on your teeth and polish each tooth using a cleaning paste, leaving your mouth feeling fresh and your teeth smooth and clean.
Air Polishing is simple, effective and painless. It uses air and water pressure to deliver a controlled stream of sodium bicarbonate or glycine powders through a special nozzle.
The combination of the pressurised jet of air, water and powder works to comprehensively remove plaque and almost all staining.
Dental hygienists are mainly concerned with ‘preventive’ dental health and treating gum disease – showing you correct home care and helping you to keep your teeth and gums healthy. This includes professionally cleaning your teeth by removing plaque and tartar (usually called a ‘scale and polish’ or a prophylaxis). However, perhaps their most important role is showing you the best way to keep your teeth free of plaque. Plaque is a sticky coating that forms constantly on your teeth. Hygienists also give advice about diet and preventing tooth decay. The hygienist will work with your dental team to give you care that is tailored to your needs.
Adults who have gum disease can have anti-bacterial gels and solutions applied under the gum to kill the bacteria causing gum disease, for example we use PerioChip for this purpose.
Another very important part of the hygienist’s work is showing you and telling you how to look after your mouth at home. The hygienist may also suggest giving up smoking, as this will reduce staining and improve your general health.
Research has also shown that smokers have more gum disease and lose more teeth than non-smokers. Your hygienist can advise you on various ways of giving up smoking. They can also give you special advice for home care if you have dental implants or orthodontic appliances.
Regular professional cleaning to remove plaque and tartar, combined with looking after your teeth and gums properly at home, 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.
This is what the training of the hygienist is all about. They will carefully remove the hard deposits of tartar (or ‘calculus’) that build up on the teeth and teach you how to prevent them coming back. This will do a lot to slow the progress of gum disease.
By recommending other preventive measures, the hygienist can help you keep to a routine that will slow down tooth decay. Regular visits and advice will help build your confidence in keeping your mouth healthy.
Scaling and polishing is comfortable for the majority of patients. If you do have particularly sensitive teeth we would recommend booking an extended session so the hygienist can administer local anaesthetic.
Your diet and cleaning regime is the most important aspect to keeping your mouth healthy. Without your input and regular maintenance, treatment is much less successful and the incidence of oral disease much higher. Your hygienist will explain how to remove plaque with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. They will also have shown you how to clean between your teeth with ‘interdental’ brushes or floss. There are many oral care products you can get, including specialist toothpastes, electric or ‘power’ toothbrushes, and mouthwashes. Your hygienist will recommend those that are best for you.
We recommend that you follow three simple steps to help keep your teeth and gums healthy:
Cutting down the amount of sugar in your diet, and the number of times that you eat during the day, can help to reduce decay. Your hygienist can help you by looking at your decay problem and your diet, and by making some recommendations for you to consider.
Chewing sugar-free gum for 10 minutes after meals can also help to prevent tooth decay. Chewing gum makes your mouth produce more saliva, which cancels out the acid produced in your mouth after drinking and eating.
To see a hygienist for a scale and polish currently costs £57.50 (correct April 2023). Please see our dental charges to find the most up to date fees to see a hygienist and see all the services which we can provide
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Dental Therapist is being able to provide a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere for my patients. It is fulfilling to be able to have a positive effect on a patient’s attitude to their oral condition and work with them to improve it. In 2020, I graduated from University of Birmingham with a degree in Dental Hygiene and Therapy. After this, I joined Vallance and became part of an incredible team. In my spare time, I enjoy swimming and practicing piano.
Please contact us to make an appointment today with our one of our Dental Hygiene Therapists
