The highest rated emergency dentist
Over 500+ 5 star reviews
500+
The highest rated emergency dentist
Over 500+ 5 star reviews
500+
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EMERGENCY HOTLINE
020 8748 9365
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Dental Hygiene London
Our locations
Dental Hygiene London
During your dental hygiene appointment, the hygienist will use professional tools (ultrasonic) to clean your teeth from plaque and tartar. The procedure, commonly known as polish and scale, will help you remove the hardened dental calculus, even when located slightly under the gum surface and unreachable with home dental hygiene methods.
During your hygiene appointment, you will receive:
- A full assessment of your dental hygiene;
- Gum health assessment;
- Professional teeth cleaning;
- Tooth stain removal;
- Personalised tips for your daily teeth cleaning routine.
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How often should you visit a dental hygienist?
If your oral health is superb, we recommend having a dental hygiene treatment once every six months. As a preventative treatment, it will help ensure there’s no dental calculus built up on your teeth and will keep your gums healthy.
If you’ve been diagnosed with gingivitis, however, you will require more frequent hygiene appointments. Gingivitis is caused by the collection of plaque between and around the teeth, causing inflammation and bleeding when you brush. Impeccable oral hygiene at home plus professional hygiene treatments every 3 or 4 months will help heal the gums and prevent gum recession and teeth loss.
Do you need sedation during dental hygiene appointments?
For more patients, dental hygiene appointments are entirely pain-free and require no sedation at all. The procedure doesn’t involve accessing the dental pulp, and therefore no sensitivity is present.
If you have, however, been diagnosed with gum disease or haven’t had a dental hygiene appointment in years, tartar may have collected in pockets under the gums which would require a deeper cleaning. Even though the procedure is not surgical, and you still may have no sensitivity, your therapist could recommend topical sedation to ensure you feel calm and comfortable during the treatment.
Regular hygiene or deep hygiene session?
If you regularly clean your teeth at home and attend dental hygiene appointments every six months with no gum issues present, then a regular hygiene treatment will likely be sufficient for your needs. The procedure will last approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
If you have red, swollen, and bleeding gums, or if you haven’t had professional teeth cleaning performed in a while, we recommend opting for a deep hygiene session. Typically carried out over 60 minutes, the deep hygiene session will allow our dental hygienist to carefully and thoroughly clean the plaque near and under the gums, allowing them to heal and stop bleeding.
Scale and polish or AirFlow stain removal?
AirFlow is a system that removes dark brown, grey or yellow marks on your teeth by using a jet of compressed air, water, and particles of bicarbonate. This treatment is ideal for most people and leaves you with clean, shiny, and whiter teeth. AirFlow is suitable for patients with veneers, dental crowns, bridges or dental implants.
For patients with dental bonding, AirFlow is not a recommended procedure. The abrasive structure of the particles of bicarbonate used during the process scratches the composite bonding’s surface, leaving it more exposed to staining and ultimately leading to the need for replacement.
Ways to avoid the need for frequent hygiene sessions?
Your oral hygiene state will determine the frequency of your hygiene sessions. The cleaner your teeth are, the fewer visits to the dental office you’ll need. Here are some tips for improving your oral hygiene:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day at a 45-degree angle to the gums;
- Floss every evening, and if possible – after every meal;
- Be gentle with your gums – vigorous brushing can cause as much harm as no brushing at all;
- Straighten your teeth – crooked teeth don’t allow for proper cleaning;
- Use interdental brushes for the areas between the teeth;
- Visit a dentist for a dental check-up and a dental hygienist once every 6 to 8 months;
- Avoid snacking – every food or drink intake attacks the enamel of your teeth ultimately leading to more problems;
- Minimise sugar intake;
- Try to brush your teeth soon after meals with starchy food.