Hygienist Services

CARING FOR YOUR TEETH AND GUMS

Dental hygienist appointments

If you haven’t had an appointment with our dental hygienist before, or it has been a while since your last scale and polish, here is some information on what to expect:

• Your appointment with our hygienist will take around 30 to 40 minutes.

• During your appointment the hygienist will firstly ask some questions about your oral health and assess your teeth and gums.

• The treatment will begin with the hygienist removing any built-up tartar and plaque on your teeth, particularly in the areas that are difficult to reach with your toothbrush.

• Next, your teeth will have a professional clean and polish, using specialist equipment and pastes, to remove stains and brighten your teeth.
• Once the clean and polish is complete you may be offered some tailored advice on how to brush, floss and look after your teeth so you can keep up the good work at home.

• You may also be offered a foam fluoride treatment which creates a protective layer on the surface of your teeth to increase their resistance to acid attack.

KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLEAN AND HEALTHY

Regular hygienist visits

We recommend making regular appointments with your dental hygienist to maintain oral hygiene, ensure a clean, healthy mouth, and to keep gum diseases at bay. This proactive approach significantly lessens your chances of encountering oral health issues.

Under normal circumstances, a visit to the hygienist every six months is recommended. However, in the presence of gum disease symptoms, it may be necessary to schedule more frequent appointments. If you are undergoing orthodontic treatments, you may also be advised to visit more regularly. For those with fixed braces, we generally advise a visit every four months, while those with Invisalign treatments should stick to the biannual visits.

It isn’t just your oral health that will benefit from regular hygienist appointments, it can also contribute to your overall wellbeing. Recent studies have drawn links between gum diseases resulting from poor oral hygiene and serious health conditions such as heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. Therefore, seeing a hygienist can effectively reduce your risk of these diseases.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please feel free to contact us at our West Dulwich practice. We're here to assist you on your journey towards optimal oral health.