Our aims in referring patients to see a dental hygienist: We would like our patients' teeth and gums to stay in first class condition. This not only requires dedication from you at home and your dentist, but skilled help from someone who is specially trained to help you maintain your mouth. A dentist may restore your teeth with careful and sometimes expensive restorations. But if you are serious about keeping your teeth then you should see the hygienist to maintain them.

Who is a hygienist? Someone who is intensively trained at a dental hospital and holding the diploma in Dental Hygiene, the primary role of the hygienist is to educate and help patients to retain healthy mouths. A hygienist plays an important role in preventing and controlling gum disease as well as decay.

Gum Disease:Tooth loss in adults is generally due to gum disease. The disease is frequently painless and may go undetected by the patient. It can progress to cause irreversible damage in susceptible patients.

How can I tell if I have gum disease? Bleeding gums when brushing the teeth is usually the first sign of gum disease, but ineffective brushing may not highlight the problem.

How can the hygienist help me? The dentist will refer you to the hygienist for the removal of bacterial deposits – plaque and calculus (tartar) – from your teeth. Significant amounts of calculus are frequently hidden around the necks of the teeth, under the gums plaque bacteria inflames the gums and causes gum disease resulting in loose or lost teeth. Regular visits to the hygienist play an important part in the prevention of gum disease.

Hygiene appointments - how often and how long? Most adults benefit from regular 6 monthly hygiene appointments. 3 monthly appointments are asked for patients with active/progressive gum disease. Initially a 1/2 hour appointment is ideal to give the hygienist time to explain in detail the cause of gum disease and to show effective methods of plaque control for prevention. Diet advice is given when necessary. Your teeth will also be thoroughly cleaned – scaled and polished – at this appointment, although it may be necessary for follow-up appointments if there is advanced disease. Individual attention and personnel can be time consuming but is dramatically more effective than only a token scale and polish.

If I visit the hygienist regularly can you guarantee I won't lose my teeth from gum disease or decay? No. The hygienist can only assist with the care of your teeth and gums. Ultimately it is your responsibility to carry out the hygienist’s advice daily to maintain a healthy condition. In practice, most patients heed our advice and end up with the disease controlled or eradicated altogether.