5 Reasons You Need To See A Dental Hygienist
Posted by: Jodie Blades Diploma Level 3 in Dental Nursing
Medically reviewed by: Dr Anthony Lam BDS (Hons), MSc (Lond), MOrth RCS (Edin)
by Holland Park Dental Centre on Dental Hygiene and Oral Health.
”A poor daily hygiene routine can contribute to gum disease, dental decay and bad breath.
What Is A Dental Hygienist?
We all know that we need to visit out dentist regularly – but what are the benefits of visiting a dental hygienist and how often should we be doing it?
Dental Hygienists play a vital role in a dental heath care team, with their main concern being preventive dental health and treating gum disease. By showing their patients correct home care and helping them to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
At Holland Park Dental Centre we offer walk-in Hygiene appointments and have recently returned to “Full Hygiene” with ultrasonic and hand scaling as standard!
1. Healthy Gums
A healthy mouth is not just about clean teeth! Our gum health has a massive impact on our overall oral hygiene (it can also have an affect on your general health too! Links between General Health & Dental Health). A poor daily dental hygiene routine can lead to gum disease, resulting in – painful, bleeding gums, bad breath and even tooth loss! Prevention of all of this is our dental hygienists’ top priority. Gum disease is the biggest cause of tooth loss in adults but it can be treated and stopped in its tracks, if it is caught in time!
Signs you have gum disease
An early sign of gum disease is spitting blood after brushing or flossing. We recommend that you brush and floss at least twice a day and have regular check-ups with both, your dentist and dental hygienist. The hygienist will scale and polish your teeth, removing any built-up plaque that has been left behind. This is definitely something you can’t do at home.
But, I floss and brush regularly so everything should be fine?
Even if you have an excellent oral hygiene regime and you’re fanatical about it, you still need to see a hygienist! Everyone has hard to reach areas in their mouth, our hygienists use specialist tools that reach these areas, to give you a much better clean. You are likely to be put on a much longer recall if you’re ace at keeping your teeth clean.
2. Bad Breath
Having bad breath can have a huge affect on your self confidence, and often if you are suffering from halitosis – you’re the last one to know about it. A dental hygienist will be honest with you. Halitosis is typically caused by bacteria that hides under the gum line. Having routine dental hygiene appointments to remove the bacteria that’s causing it will help and they will also give you the tools and the know-how to treat it at home.
3. A Whiter Smile
Many daily foods and drinks, as well as tobacco will, over time, stain your teeth. Luckily these stains are usually on the surface of your teeth and can be removed with professional scaling and polishing. Brushing alone just won’t cut it and some ‘whitening’ toothpastes can actually cause damage to your teeth, leaving them more prone to staining than before. Our hygienist can remove the stains with treatments such as, PROPHYpearls air polish and this treatment can even make your teeth whiter than before!
4. Early Detection
Regular, routine dental hygiene appointments give you and your dentist additional opportunities to monitor and maintain your teeth and gums. As well as keeping your teeth sparkly clean your hygienist will be on the lookout for early signs of oral cancers, decay, fractures and loose fillings – hygienist visits are an incredibly valuable asset to your overall dental health.
5. Great Dental Hygiene Gives You Confidence
A healthy, clean mouth and a great smile does wonders for your confidence! Whether you’re talking to people, laughing with them or kissing them, having a clean healthy mouth is a massive plus!
Dental hygienists are extremely knowledgeable and with regular visits they will be able to identify any issues early, meaning they will be able to give you the information and advice you need, which if you are diligent in following, means you’ll have a wonderfully healthy mouth and may not need to see them that often.
Everybody’s recall is different but we recommend that you see a dental hygienist at least twice a year. If you haven’t seen one for a while, your mouth will thank you for booking a Dental Hygiene appointment today!
Book your dental hygiene appointment online now!
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