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What is a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists help to prevent and treat gum problems. Regular cleaning from the dental hygienist will remove plaque & tartar build up. Brown stains from tea, coffee & smoking can be polished away, leaving your teeth sparkly and feeling great. It can also help with bad breath and give you back the confidence to smile.
How often should I visit a Hygienist?
It is recommended by the New Zealand Dental Association to visit a dental hygienist every 4-6 months to maintain a healthy mouth. Regular Hygiene visits can help restore your gums to a healthy state.
Why should I visit a Hygienist?
Gum disease is a silent disease.Many people don’t know they have it until obvious symptoms of gum recession, tooth mobility or tooth loss occur in the late stage of the disease. Unfortunately, this is when we meet most of our patients and although we try to save the majority of teeth, once treatment is completed the smile you once had might not be the same, and in addition may require further dental treatment to restore your smile.
During your Dental Hygienist visit we routinely perform the following;
- Measuring pocket depths for bone loss and create a map so we can identify problem areas
- Remove plaque and calculus off the teeth and root surfaces
- Flossing/Toothbrush demonstration – teaching you the correct techniques
- Education on homecare and cleaning aides
- Polishing your teeth to remove any remaining bacteria and stains
- Irrigating any infected pockets under the gumline
- Helping heal inflammed bleeding gums
- Helping to get your fresh breath and confidence back
While gum disease cannot be cured, it can be controlled. We do our best to help control this with you. Homecare and regular hygiene visits are essential. You need to treat it like any other disease . . . because that’s what it is – a disease that needs to be taken seriously.
A healthy mouth can be maintained by 2 visits a year to the hygienist.
Gum disease can lead to other health complications…
Gum disease is an infection that develops in your gums when bacteria (plaque) and other poisonous toxins enter your general circulation through diseased gum tissue and infect the rest of your body.
Conditions linked with poor oral health are;
- Tooth mobility and loss
- Bad breath
- Mouth cancer (in the form of white and red lesions and ulcers)
- Head and neck cancer (tumours/growths in oral tissues or bone)
- Endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of yoru heart chambers and heart valves)
- Cardiovascular disease (is a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels and include high blood pressure)
- Lung disease
- Premature birth and low birth weight
- Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Alzheimers disease
- Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
Fresh Breath Clinic
If you or someone you know, suffers from bad breath (Halitosis), we can help identify causes & provide solutions!
