What Is A Hygienist
Dental hygienists are specially trained to work with the dentist in providing care to the patient
They play an important role in dental health care and are mainly concerned with gum health, education in correct home care and the application of preventive materials to the teeth and gums.
What Is The Hygienist’s Role In The Practice
The Hygienist will work with your dentist to provide care tailored to your needs.
The Hygienist’s main role is to provide professional cleaning of the teeth for the patient. This is usually called scaling and polishing. However, perhaps their most important role is the education of the patient in the best way to keep teeth free from plaque.
Why Is This Treatment Important?
Regular professional cleaning combined with your home care will help maintain a healthy mouth.
A clean and healthy mouth will improve your appearance, help you keep your teeth and give you fresh breath.
Can A Hygienist Help Prevent Dental Disease?
The training of the hygienist is centred around preventing dental disease. Carefully removing the deposits that build up on the teeth (plaque and tartar) and teaching you how to prevent it reforming again, will go a long way to slowing the progress of gum disease
By discussing your diet and recommending other preventive measures your decay rate can also be reduced.
What Help Is Available For Children?
The permanent back teeth can also benefit from having the fissures sealed. This is done by applying a special plastic coating to the biting surface soon after they erupt into the mouth.
What Other Help Can Be Given To Adults?
Adults can also benefit from preventive measures such as the application of fluoride. They can also have anti-bacterial gels and solutions applied under the gum to kill the bacteria causing gum disease.
Another very important part of the hygienists work, is the regular instruction and advice on home care. The hygienist may also suggest giving up smoking as his will cause staining. Recent research has also shown that smokers have more gum disease and lose more teeth than non-smokers.
Will The Treatment Hurt?
Scaling and polishing is usually pain free.
However, if you do experience some discomfort the hygienist can eliminate this with the use if topical anaesthetic creams or by giving you some local anaesthetic. It is important that you let the hygienist know at the time so that some pain control can be given.
What Can I Do To Help The Hygienist?
You can do a great deal to help yourself and the hygienist as you are in control of your mouth between visits to the practice.
Your hygienist will have shown you how to remove plaque with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. You will also have been shown how to clean between your teeth with floss, tape or little brushes. There are many products now available and your hygienist will recommend those that are appropriate for you.
Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, and the number of times that you eat during he day can help you reduce decay. Your hygienist can help you by looking at your decay problem, your diet and by making some recommendations for you to consider.
