Why Do You Need Regular Appointments With The Hygienist?
The scale and polish is designed to give your teeth a thorough cleaning which is much more effective than brushing alone as the hygienist is able to reach the difficult areas that you miss at home. There are millions of bacteria in the mouth at all times, and these bacteria thrive on food debris that get caught between the teeth and along the gum margin. Without effective daily removal of food debris with brushing and flossing, these bacterial colonies of plaque grow and form a sticky film over the tooth’s surface. If the plaque isn’t removed minerals in saliva causing it to harden and become calculus which you can’t removed at home with your tooth brush. However your dental hygienist will use something known as an electric scalar to remove the hardest tartar. This vibrates at a very high speed to break up the hard substance on your teeth, your gum line, and between your teeth in those hard to reach places. A jet of water will wash away any debris from this stage in the cleaning process.
Gum Disease (Gingivitis)
Toxins in the plaque irritate the gums and cause inflammation. This can cause the gums to pull away from the toot which will create a “pocket”. Food debris and plaque will begin to collect in the pocket and you won’t be able to clean this away at home with your tooth brush. The measurement between your tooth and gums should be no more than 3.5mm and if it exceeds this you have gum disease. The dentist or hygienist will measure this in your appointment with a small instrument around your gum line.
Your hygienist will need a longer appointment with you to do a deep clean in the area you have pocketing and will be able to remove the debris that’s collected under the gum level (subgingival), this will promote healing and help the pockets close up and become smaller to make them more manageable at home.
The part everyone likes
During your scale the hygienist will be able to remove surface stains with the scalar but at the end of the appointment they will polish the teeth to restore your teeth’s natural sheen using a rotating brush and gritty toothpaste that can also remove surface stains.
Staining
If your someone who suffers from a lot of surface staining due to your social life (smoking, drinking tea/red wine) we do offer an Airflow service, where the hygienist will use a phophy machine that uses a stream of water, air and sodium bicarbonate and this cleans heavy staining from the teeth
How Often Should I See The Hygienist?
We would recommend a scale and polish treatment every six months in order to prevent the build up of plaque on your teeth. Some people will require the treatment for example if you have gum disease we recommend you see the hygienist every 3 month. However your dentist will recommend the best routine for you
If you’d like to book a scale and polish with one of our friendly dental hygienists, give us a call on 01384 393 331
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Last Updated on 18/07/2020 by team