If you’ve been to the dentist in the City of London and they’ve recommended you to see the dental hygienist it can feel a little embarrassing sometimes – hygienists can make you feel like you’ve somehow got a hygiene problem but this really isn’t the case. Hundreds of people across the UK see dental hygienists everyday and it’s usually for really simple reasons. Here’s all you need to know about dental hygienists and their role in taking care of your teeth.
What are dental hygienists?
Hygienists have a slightly different role to your dentist and they undergo training in exactly how to keep teeth and gums healthy. You might already know that gum disease and tooth decay are the two leading causes of tooth loss globally and so having trained practitioners within practice to look at the oral hygiene and care of gums and teeth is really important and this is what a dental hygienist does.
What happens at a dental hygienists appointment?
Usually a dental hygienist will do a check of your teeth and gums, working round the whole mouth. They’ll likely be saying numbers and letters to the nurse practitioners but no worries about this, this is just special dental dialogue to track your teeth and gum health on the system.
After they’ve checked your gum health, usually they’ll begin a scale and polish clean. Dental hygienists use special tools to get right down into the lining and pockets of where your gum meets your teeth as this is where most plaque and tartar has built up and it’s this build up that goes on to cause gum disease and tooth decay.
When it comes to early stages of gum disease, one clean from the hygienist can be enough to remove the issue and put your gums back to lovely pink, no bleeding health. If the infection is more serious you might need extra help and support from your dentist in the City of London, to fight infection with antibiotics. Similarly if you have some signs of tooth decay this will need to be addressed by a dentist not a hygienist.
Post Treatment Care
Now most issues with our teeth can be prevented against – as already mentioned tooth decay and gum disease are the leading causes of tooth loss but both are for the most part down to bad oral hygiene routine. If your dental hygienist believes your oral hygiene routine isn’t quite up to scratch they might offer you further support in how to get it there. This could include information on teeth brushing, flossing, and which products are best to use on your teeth.
Remember dental hygienists are there to support you, though it can feel a little bit of a shock to hear you need an appointment. It’s nothing to worry about and can actually be really instrumental in ensuring you don’t need to go back to the dentist for some more serious work later down the road. If you haven’t had a check up in the last six months, it’s time to book one.