This page was last updated on April 13th, 2023
Your regular visit to the dental hygienist is more than just a scale and polish. Your dental hygienist is a highly trained, qualified dental therapist who plays an important role in preventative dental care. By using their knowledge and experience to spot any potential problems in their early stages, your hygienist can help prevent dental problems from becoming more serious and painful.
What does a Dental Hygienist do?
Your dental hygienist works both to assist the dentist in procedures and also in individual appointments with patients to clean their teeth, check mouth and gum health, and help educate patients in teaching them the best ways to take care of their teeth and gums.
What Happens at an Appointment with the Dental Hygienist?
At your dental hygienist appointment, the hygienist will clean your teeth with a scale and polish; this procedure will not only leave your smile looking clean and bright but will also remove all tartar and plaque, both above and below the gum margin, ensuring that bacteria does not accumulate and accelerate tooth decay. Your hygienist will also be able to offer advice on the best oral care products and techniques to use at home to maintain your smile.
Alongside cleaning your teeth, the hygienist will also check for signs of gum disease and other problems within the mouth such as oral cancer.
Why Visit the Dental Hygienist?
There are a number of reasons that regular visits to the hygienist are important-
- Keep your smile bright – a regular scale and polish removes stains and gives you a shining clean smile and fresh, clean feeling that you just can’t achieve at home, even with the best electric toothbrushes and the most expensive toothpaste. A bright, white smile does wonders for your confidence.
- Maintain gum health – Your hygienist will clean both above and below the gum margin, making sure that there are no trapped bacteria in these areas that are nearly impossible to clean yourself. This will help to protect your gums from potential infections and gum disease.
- Keep breath fresh – One of the main causes of halitosis, or bad breath, is poor dental hygiene.
- Peace of mind – You can be sure that your oral health is being checked and monitored by a professional.
- Education – Your hygienist will be able to show you how to effectively clean your teeth and continue to look after your oral health at home, they will also be able to provide information about the latest oral care products to meet your individual needs.
- Prevent problems – One of the main roles of the hygienist is preventative dental care, stopping problems before they start or identifying problems when all that is required is a minor treatment. Often, without intervention from the hygienist problems are only noticed by the patient when they become painful, and at this stage, the problem could be fairly advanced and require more treatment.
- Save money – By stopping problems before they start, and helping keep your mouth in optimum health, your hygienist will help minimise the chances of you needing costlier dental treatments further down the line.
How Often Should I Visit the Dental Hygienist?
You should visit the dental hygienist when clinically recommended. This will give you peace of mind that your teeth are looking their best, your breath is fresh, and that your gums and teeth are healthy. Having regular appointments with the dental hygienist will help ensure your good oral health, and a confident smile, for many years to come.
