Dental hygienists are the members of the dental team who focus specifically on your gum health. Hygienists do so much more than simply provide a “scale and polish”. They provide gum treatment to both prevent and treat gum disease and improve the aesthetics of your mouth.

What are the benefits to visiting a Dental Hygienist? 

1. Prevention of bleeding gums. Bleeding gums or spitting out blood when you brush are signs of gum enflammation (and can be an early sign of gum disease). In most cases the bleeding is totally reversible. Hygienists work to stop the bleeding by removing hard and soft deposits (tartar and plaque) at the gum line and between the teeth. The hygienist will also show you how to prevent the bleeding coming back with a personalised oral care regime.
2. Treatment of gum disease. In more advanced cases of gum disease, the gums can become painful and sore, teeth can become mobile and infections can occur. The hygienist treats these issues by means of careful deep cleaning with a range of products, techniques and methods to ensure treatment is as comfortable as possible.
3. Treatment and access of hard to reach areas. No matter how well you brush and clean in between your teeth, there will just always be some areas that are hard to reach and require extra attention to stop tartar and plaque building up. For this reason, even hygienists need to visit a hygienist from time to time!
4. Prevention of bad breath. The same bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay release odours that can lead to bad breath. Again, removal of the tartar and plaque deposits further helps to eliminate this.
5. Stain removal. The hygienist removes stains that accumulate on the teeth from such things as food, drink and smoking. Not only does this make the teeth look great but they feel great too. There is nothing like that ‘just cleaned’ feeling.
6. Detection of dental and oral issues. Visiting a hygienist is no substitute for a dental check-up but nonetheless when working in your mouth, a hygienist is ideally placed to notice such things as early decay, lumps and swellings and chipped or failing fillings that you yourself might not have been aware of.
7. Disease prevention. Oral bacteria have been proved to exacerbate such issues as heart disease and diabetes. Regular hygiene treatments therefore form part of your holistic self-care routine.