At Croxley Dental Clinic, we offer patients a wide range of dental procedures, such as preserving damaged or infected teeth to improving their appearance. Of equal importance though is preventative dental care. Whilst much of this is maintained at home, the importance of regular dental hygienist visits should not be underestimated.
At our practice, we have three skilled and experienced hygienists in Fatima, Husein and Monika who professionally clean your teeth and provide oral health advice to keep your mouth fresh and healthy. Each appointment consists of a thorough clean and preventative care advice.
A key role of a dental hygienist is in the prevention and treatment of gum disease. Naturally, it is far better to prevent this from occurring in the first place, and this is when the educational role of a hygienist comes into its own.
Our hygienists will discuss your cleaning routines and offer advice and suggestions as to how this can be improved if necessary. Equally, lifestyle choices may be discussed which potentially affect the teeth and gums. Diet, smoking and alcohol consumption are some of the leading causes of oral health issues, and these are likely to be discussed during your appointment.
Interdental cleaning is also an area that is likely to be discussed as only around 20% of people in the UK perform this important procedure. This is unfortunate as much decay and gum problems start in this area. Our hygienists will discuss cleaning options with you to enable you to carry this out at home.
Hygienists may also perform a professional cleaning procedure on your teeth and gums. This is often referred to as a ‘scale and polish’ and is an excellent way to remove hardened gingival bacteria (tartar) that has attached to the teeth and gum line.
If removed during the early stages, this is an excellent way of keeping gum disease at bay. The procedure itself is painless and removes the tartar which cannot be removed by general brushing alone. Patients may also see an improvement in the colour of their teeth and reduced staining following the procedure.
We have recently introduced the Prophy-Mate Air Polishing dental stain removal system. This system works by using a fine jet of compressed air, water and fine powder particles to remove staining caused by tea, coffee, red wine and tobacco. The Air Polishing jet is an upgrade from the classic scale and polish session since it combines the power of a thorough clean with a cosmetic feel. Although this is not a tooth whitening treatment, it will significantly improve tooth brightness. This treatment is carried out by our hygienist Fatima.
Generally speaking, hygienist appointments should be attended every six months and this is sufficient for most patients. Some groups though, such as diabetics, are at a higher risk of gum disease and therefore we may suggest more regular appointments to enable the patient to avoid the problems that gum disease can bring.
