The importance of hygiene appointments at our dentist
Here at Meavy Way Dental Practice we understand that providing you with the dental health care you need is really important. It’s apparent that part of this is preventive dentistry and that includes things like coming to our dentist in Plymouth for regular dental hygiene appointments.
It is possible that not everyone will know what a dental hygiene appointment is. Some people may think that whenever they come to our dentist in Plymouth they see them in order to have work done such as fillings, tooth extractions or root canal treatment. However, a big part of your wider dental health care is maintaining good dental hygiene.
What does a dental hygienist do?
Part of the role of our dental hygienist is to educate our patients on how to maintain good oral hygiene habits at home. For example, it’s important to have good brushing techniques for your brushing after meals or when you wake up. Flossing techniques are important too, and it may be that a particular type of floss may be most suited to you and your needs.
For those of our patients who have dental appliances, these can require specific techniques in order to correctly clean either around your dental appliance or clean your appliance and teeth separately when it has been removed. If you have a fixed appliance, you will of course be aware that you cannot remove these for cleaning purposes, our dental hygienist might be able to give you some tips as to how you can get the best clean possible for your teeth and your mouth during the course of your treatment. When talking to our dentist this might look like having some dental tools to help you such as interdental brushes. These brushes can help you to clean between the brackets and wires of your brace.
For those patients who have removable appliances, using a particular sort of brush to clean your denture or your bridge can be helpful in order to maintain good cleanliness, while also trying to minimise the risk of damage to your appliance. And of course, the needs of each patient are different because each patient is unique. So it’s really important that you speak to the dental hygienist about what is most appropriate for you, your fixture and your needs.
Another aspect of what our dental hygienist does is to educate you about how to keep your teeth and mouth clean at home. It’s not only an important aspect of your overall wellbeing, but it also helps towards preventing the onset of dental problems such as cavities that have been caused by a building up of tartar or plaque. Maintaining good oral hygiene can also reduce the likelihood of gum disease taking place. All of these things help to preserve the lifespan of your natural teeth and therefore reduce the likelihood that intervention will be needed in future.
What does a typical appointment with the hygienist look like?
You can generally expect our hygienist to have a look at your mouth and teeth and to talk through any pain that you might be in. This helps them to adjust their plan for the appointment accordingly and maybe direct you to an appointment with our dentist in Plymouth if you need further care alongside your hygiene appointment. Often the dental hygienist will clean your teeth using a technique called scaling and polishing, which you have probably heard of. This means that they take a paste and clean and polish your teeth in the dental practice to brighten and whiten them.
For more information about hygiene appointments or any other form of preventive or general dentistry and the services that we offer here at Meavy Way Dental Practice, do get in touch with us.