Education

Dental hygienists can offer professional education on all aspects of oral hygiene. They can give you the best advice on things such as which toothbrushes and toothpastes are suited for you, and assist you in developing a great dental routine.

Assessment and Diagnosis

Similar to a dentist, a dental hygienist is qualified to examine your teeth, taking x-rays if necessary. They can offer full check-ups and give a solid diagnosis on any problems you may be having. For any serious problems they discover, they can recommend next steps, which may include visiting an orthodontist.

Minor Procedures

Any minor treatment that is discovered to be necessary after an inspection by your dental hygienist can be performed then and there. Dental hygienists offer a full cleaning of the teeth; including scraping and polishing that can remove excess build ups of plaque in the patient’s gums. These procedures can be very effective, preventing serious problems that could occur – these services are known as preventative dentistry, and for good reason. Visit our hygienist at Mossley Dental Care near Droylsden for a lesson in effective cleaning.

However, dental decay can be avoided by following a few simple steps each day when partaking in your oral hygiene routine. It has been estimated that under half of adults follow a good daily hygiene routine.

Brushing your teeth

Firstly when it come to brushing your teeth makes sure you spend at least two minutes doing this at least twice a day, and use a toothpaste with a recommended amount of fluoride in it, as this helps protect and strengthen enamel and can help prevent tooth decay. An electric toothbrush may be more helpful than a traditional manual one, as they can be up to twice as effective.

Flossing and mouthwash

Brushing alone won’t help protect your teeth. Ensure that you introduce both mouthwash and dental floss into your daily dental hygiene routine. You should do this as brushing only cleans around 60 per cent of the surface. Dental floss can help reach in between teeth and mouthwash helps to kill the bacteria located between the teeth, along with helping to reduce plaque and fight gum disease.

Finally, to ensure a good oral hygiene routine, ensure that you visit your dentist or hygienist on a regular basis to make sure something isn’t happening that you can’t see or feel, before it’s too late.

If you are looking for a dentist or dental hygienist near to Dukinfield please give the practice a call, we would be very happy to help.

Reasons for bad breath

The main reason for having bad breath is a poor oral hygiene routine. Bacteria coats your gums, teeth and tongue and creates plaque, which can often result in dental decay and gum disease, and lets off a bad-smelling gas, which is ultimately bad breath. This can be avoided by maintaining good oral hygiene, which can be done by brushing and flossing regularly, along with using mouthwash and visiting a dentist or dental hygienist on a regular basis.

Food and drink and bad breath

The food and drink you consume can also lead to bad breath, such as strong scented foods like garlic and onions, along with strong smelling drinks like coffee and drinks that dry out the mouth, like alcohol. However, these issues tend to be temporary and can be stopped by eating and drinking less of these foods. Good oral hygiene will also help greatly. Crash dieting can also cause bad breath. The Atkins diet is known to cause bad breath due to its fasting and low-carbohydrate intake.

Smoking is the most obvious cause of constant bad breath due to the smell of stale smoke. Along with bad breath, smoking can also lead to gum disease along with staining of the teeth and other problems. Quitting smoking is usually the best option to combat this, along with good oral hygiene.

Certain types of medications such as nitrates, tranquillisers and some chemotherapy drugs have been known to be the reason for bad breath in the past. To combat this the best thing to do is discuss it with your GP to find out about possible alternative medications.

The Cleaning

A hygienist’s main job is professionally cleaning a patient’s teeth, which is sometimes referred to as ‘scaling and polishing’. If you have been regularly forgetting to clean you might benefit from a professional cleaning. Even if you’ve been brushing religiously, there will still be areas that cannot be reached by a toothbrush or any other everyday cleaning methods. Hygienists use special tools to reach these areas and will remove the build up of plaque and calculus from them. Your teeth will also be polished, helping to remove any superficial stains. Regular appointments can also be beneficial as a hygienist will spot potential problems which may go unnoticed by the untrained observer.

Advice

Perhaps the most significant gift the hygienist can offer is the gift of knowledge. A hygienist will happily instruct you on the best brushing techniques and guide you through the best homecare products available. They may also offer dietary advice, regarding how your eating affects your teeth, or offer other advice regarding the mouth, such as giving up smoking. The main focus here is on prevention. You are in control of your mouth between dental checkups and following the hygienist’s instructions will help to prevent any problems developing between appointments. Whether it’s the cleaning itself, some new information or even just clarifying that you’ve been doing right, the hygienist plays a vital role in oral healthcare for patients near Hyde.

The scaling is carried out with either an electronic scaler or an ultrasound cleaning device. This tool enables the hygienist to carefully remove the build up of plaque on each tooth. These tools can even clean below the gum line and are able to clean far better than any at home cleaning method. Patients from Denton and surrounding areas can easily benefit from this treatment.

The next step is the polishing, which is carried out to ensure no damage has occurred to the tooth’s enamel. The process may seem a little invasive to begin with, but it is an important part of oral health. There may be a part of your mouth that you cannot clean properly on your own, and this is where plaque will build up. If left untreated the build up will eventually cause problems such as tooth decay or gum disease.

During a visit to the hygienist a set of x-rays may be taken. This enables them to diagnose issues and plan the correct treatment with the patient. Regular visit to the hygienist are recommended, as this will help keep your mouth healthy and reduce the risk of tooth loss.

It is recommended that a professional cleaning be carried out every 6-9 months and at the very least it should be done once a year.