Visiting the Hygienist

For many of our patients at Family Dental

Care visiting the hygienist will be a new experience. This information sheet is designed to answer some commonly asked questions. If there is anything else you are unsure about please do not hesitate to speak to any member of staff.

What is a hygienist?

Dental hygienists are specially trained to work with the Dentist in providing care to patients.

They play an important role in dental health care and are mainly concerned with gum health, showing people correct home care to control dental plaque (the bacteria that live on our teeth).

Why is this treatment important?

Regular professional cleaning combined with your home care will help keep your mouth healthy. A clean and healthy mouth will improve your appearance. It will also help you to keep your teeth and give you fresh breath.

Will the treatment hurt?

Scaling and polishing is usually pain free.

However, if you do have any discomfort the hygienist can use anaesthetic gels, or give you local anaesthetic. It is important that you let the hygienist know at the time so they can help with any discomfort.

Sometimes, when the gums are very inflamed, you may feel some discomfort when they are cleaned. In these cases the hygienist may go over your brushing and interdental care to ensure the inflammation subsides before continuing your professional clean at another visit.

If you continue to clean your teeth the way the hygienist has shown you the gums will start to heal and the treatment should be more comfortable the next time.

Why doesn’t the dentist do this work?

Hygienists have been specially trained to carry out scaling and polishing and can spend longer with you. They are also expert at teaching you how to look after your teeth and gums..

What will happen at the appointment?

Firstly the hygienist will check your medical history. This is to ensure that any materials and equipment we use will not interfere with any existing medical conditions or medication.

The hygienist may take some measurements of the gum pocket depths at your first appointment. This is an important record which we will use to monitor the progress of your gum condition.

Perhaps the most important thing the hygienist will do is to show you how to keep your teeth free from plaque at home, using methods tailored to you. As you will be looking after your teeth on a daily basis, the work that you put in at home is the most valuable tool for preventing gum disease.

The hygienist will start to clean your teeth above and below the gum line and may use a combination of hand instruments and an ultrasonic scaler.

Depending on the condition of your gums and how much calculus (tartar) deposits there are, your hygienist may recommend you return for some further appointments. You may also need periodontal treatment together with pocket irrigation if your gum pockets are very deep.

Normal scaling cannot dislodge fillings, crowns and bridges.

However, if a filling or crown is defective, for example if it has decay underneath it, then it could become loose during the visit. If this did happen then the filling would have needed replacing anyway and you should not worry as scaling would not dislodge fillings on healthy teeth.

Fees

Scaling is available on the NHS with your dentist but where more intensive cleaning is advised this is offered as an option under private contract with the hygienist at a cost of £75 per half hour session.  Where periodontal treatment with irrigation is needed the cost is £100 for a 45 minute session. We do ask for the fee to be paid in advance to reserve your appointment.

Cancellations

Please note that we require 24 hours working day notice of cancellation. There will be no refund without this notice.

If you have anything you wish to discuss please speak to any member of staff or call us on 020 8980 9838.

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is vitaly importants. Our Bethnal Green hygienists will ensure that you receive full oral hygiene instructions and preventative care with follow up appointments to ensure you gain the maximum benefit from your visits to Family Dental Care.

Why not try out our Advanced Air Abrasion Sparkle Clean

  • This advanced new technique painlessly removes microscopic amounts of decay, sparing healthy tooth structure in the process
  • The process does away with the whining of a conventional drill, so patients tend to enjoy the near absence of noise
  • One treatment is perfect for that quick fix for a sparkly clean smile before an important event or social get-together