What is a Dental Hygienist?

Dental Hygienists are specially trained members of the dental team. They play an important role in your dental health care, including preventing and controlling gum disease.

What can a Hygienist do to help if I have gum disease?

Educating you on current techniques, equipment and mouthwashes that can help you to remove the bacteria daily that is causing the gum disease.

A Hygienist will advise you to use a toothbrush effectively and clean between the teeth with tools that will get rid of bacteria in hard to reach areas.

A Hygienist will also advise on how to quit smoking as smoking plays a big part in gum disease.

They will deliver treatment that will remove the bacteria and make the tooth and root surface clean so that you can use the methods shown to you to maintain a clean mouth and stabilise your gum disease. To do this a Hygienist may scale your teeth or carry out a deep clean (this is when the roots are scaled, sometimes numbing the area using a local anaesthetic).

It is very important that regular appointments should then be made with your Hygienist ( sometimes every 3 months), to monitor any areas of Periodontitis or Gingivitis so that they don't get worse and so they remain stable for the long term.

It is important to note that YOU are the person who plays the most important role in your periodontal treatment.