Why You Should See The Hygienist At The Dental Centre Bedford
Seeing a hygienist shouldn’t be seen as an ‘optional extra’, but as an essential part of your oral health care.
Most people will see their dentist twice a year for check ups and this is one of the essentials of good oral health care. It ensures that the health of your teeth is monitored and allows any treatment needed to be carried out at a relatively early stage. This makes any procedure less extensive and helps to save as much of the natural tooth as possible.
This is a good start to looking after your oral health but it isn’t all that you need to do. While most people focus on their teeth; understandably as this is what people mostly see when we smile, it is also essential that you look after your gums too. This is something that may not be deemed as important by some people but this needs to change. Poor gum health can be responsible for teeth being lost and, if studies are correct, may also contribute to general health issues including heart disease.
So, how should you take better care of your gums?
As with our teeth, good care starts at home. The following tips will help you to minimise the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis, the earlier and later stages of gum disease.
- Check your toothbrush – If the bristles of your toothbrush are worn, or over three months old, they need to be replaced. Using poor equipment means that less bacteria and food debris is likely to be removed.
- Use dental floss – Although not always popular, the use of floss is a great way of removing food and bacteria that becomes trapped between your teeth where a toothbrush can’t reach. There is plenty of advice online on how to floss effectively and if you really struggle, ask the hygienist at The Dental Centre Bedford to show you how when you have an appointment (more on that later).
- Stay hydrated – Oral bacteria thrive in a warm and dry environment. A dry mouth caused by dehydration is a perfect example. Making sure that you drink enough water will help with this.
- Keep sugar intake to a minimum – As with tooth decay, sugar can encourage gum disease and feed the bacteria that contribute to it. Try to keep to a low sugar diet as much as you can.
- Quit smoking – Smoking not only causes a dry mouth but also narrows the small blood vessels in the gums. This slows down blood flow that contributes to healing and fighting off infection.
- See the hygienist – More of this in a minute, but if you don’t already see a dental hygienist every six months, it’s time to pick up the phone and arrange an appointment with us.
Seeing the hygienist – what happens?
For anyone who doesn’t already see their local Bedford hygienist, you may wonder what actually happens and whether it is worth it. We strongly recommend that you do book an appointment and to help you along the way and help you understand what they do, this would be a typical visit, though it may vary a little from patient to patient.
Discussion
Especially if it is your first visit, the hygienist is likely to ask you about your lifestyle and factors that directly affect your gum health such as whether you smoke or not. This is all private and confidential and is solely used as a guide to direct you towards better oral health care.
Oral health improvement suggestions
From the above initial discussion, the hygienist may make recommendations that will help you to improve your gum health. This may include directing you towards organisations that can help you quit smoking, demonstrating how to use dental floss correctly or even recommending a particular toothpaste that they feel will be of benefit to you. Even a few simple and small changes to your daily routine can contribute to significant improvements in your oral health.
Scale and Polish
Finally, the hygienist will carry out a procedure known as a ‘scale and polish’. This is nothing to be feared and is non-invasive, meaning that even nervous patients can have this treatment with no concerns. It is typically a three part procedure which consists of:
Manual clean
Using a hooked implement, most of the tartar, a hardened form of bacteria, is removed from the teeth and the gum line. This is not painful, though a slight ‘pulling’ sensation might be felt.
Sonic cleaning
Using high frequency vibrations that shatter most of the rest of the tartar, a sonic tool is used to remove the rest of the tartar from the teeth and gum line.
Professional clean
Finally, using a special rotating brush, your teeth will be thoroughly cleaned to remove any remaining bacteria. This sometimes also helps to brighten the teeth a little by removing some surface staining, although it isn’t as effective at this as a teeth whitening procedure. Once this has been done, you will find that your mouth feels fresher and healthier.
We recommend that you have an appointment with the hygienist every six months unless they suggest more frequently. This might be the case with some smokers and also diabetics who are more prone to gum disease and may benefit from more frequent cleans.
We hope that today’s blog has encouraged you to understand the importance of good gum health and to encourage you to look after yours better. Why not make a start today by booking your hygienist appointment with us by calling The Dental Centre Bedford on 01234 819868.