Hygiene sessions play an important role in dental health care. A typical hygiene session, either with the dentist or the hygienist, deals with gum health. It comprises of professionally cleaning the teeth and demonstrating correct methods of brushing and flossing to remove plaque.

Why is this treatment important?

Bacterial ‘plaque’ forms constantly on your tooth and gums. When you eat something sugary, the plaque turns the sugar into acid, which may lead to tooth decay. The hard tartar (calculus) which builds up on the teeth also starts off as plaque which eventually calcifies. Thus it is seen that the harmful effects are manifold. Regular professional cleaning combined with looking after your teeth and gums well at home are therefore paramount in keeping your mouth healthy and preventing both tooth decay and gum disease. A clean healthy mouth will improve your appearance, give you fresh breath and thus boost your confidence. It also plays a key role in preserving your teeth in a pain and decay free condition.

Can regular hygiene appointments help prevent dental disease?

Regular hygiene appointments are a key component of preventive dentistry. Careful removal of calculus (tartar) that builds up on the teeth and teaching you how to prevent it reforming, will go a long way to slowing the progress of gum disease. The rate at which your teeth decay can also be slowed down by discussing your diet, and recommending other preventive measures. Regular visits to the dentist will allow the dentist to discover new conditions when they are still at an early stage thus allowing treatment procedures being less aggressive, painful and expensive.

Does this treatment hurt?

Scaling and polishing is usually pain free. However, if you any discomfort/sensitivity the dentist can apply some anaesthetic cream or use some local anaesthetic to relieve your discomfort.

What impact does smoking have on my teeth and gums?

Smoking has a number of adverse effects on our dentition and supporting structures. Among these are staining of teeth, gum disease, tooth loss and mouth cancer. If you smoke, you may need to visit the dentist more often. However, the only way of safeguarding not only your oral health but also your general health is to try and give up. Alcohol can also contribute to mouth cancer and if you smoke and drink the effect is additive and you are more at risk.

Can scaling and polishing remove stains from my teeth?

Any superficial staining or surface deposits can usually be removed during the process. However, internal staining of the teeth such as that caused due to fluoride, prolonged use of antibiotics, trauma etc cannot be tackled by this treatment.

What oral care regime should I follow at home?

·         Brush your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day with fluoride tooth paste. Make sure you brush at night before you sleep and once more at any other time in the day. The dentist will demonstrate to you the best method for your individual needs.

·         Floss your teeth. Brushing alone cleans only 60% of the tooth surface, Flossing helps clean in between the teeth. There are other products that can be used to clean in between teeth such as interdental brushes and the dentist can provide more information regarding these.

·         Use a mouthwash. This helps to freshen the breath and also helps dislodge food debris.

·         Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend