Most people now see their dentist for a check up every six months or so but the same can\u2019t always be said for those who should be also seeing the dental hygienist. Recent indications suggest that only around one in five people in the UK see the hygienist at their local practice for a regular six monthly appointment. This is bad news for their oral health and specifically for their gums! With gum disease being responsible for much tooth loss, this is an important step that should not be skipped.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, the message about oral health is not clear enough, with some people perhaps seeing gum disease toothpaste adverts on TV and presuming that they don\u2019t have a problem simply because their gums don\u2019t bleed when they brush their teeth. Unfortunately, this is not the only symptom of gum disease and soreness and inflammation, as well as bad breath are also potential indicators of gingivitis or periodontitis.<\/p>\n
As a reminder to patients of the Foxhall Dental Practice, we thought we would dedicate today\u2019s blog to reasons why you should see our Ipswich dental hygienist every six months, or more frequently if advised by them.<\/p>\n
A commonly used phrase within political circles but one that is also very relevant in oral care. Unfortunately, many people simply adapt the health habits of their parents who probably follow advice that is well out of date. They also perhaps inherited their method from their parents. Accordingly, there are probably a lot of people in the UK who are taking much less care of oral health<\/a> than they should be. One of the roles of a dental hygienist is to educate the patient. They will usually ask a number of questions about your lifestyle choices and whether you smoke, how much you drink etc. We ask that you are completely honest about this and rest assured that all information is private. Your answers can give the hygienist some indication of things that can easily be improved.<\/p>\n Following an examination of your teeth and gums, they will also have a good idea of how well you are brushing your teeth and may offer little \u2018tips\u2019 that would improve things. This might include a toothpaste they recommend, suggestions to change the brush more regularly and to make sure that you brush the gums as well as the teeth. Just making a few simple changes to your everyday oral health regime could make a very big difference to your overall oral health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Having discussed the above with you, the hygienist will then perform a scale and polish procedure. This is designed to remove tartar, a hardened \u2018crust\u2019 of bacteria and minerals from saliva that hardens on the teeth and around the gum line. This increases the risk of the gingivitis and periodontitis that can cause some very unpleasant symptoms and potential tooth loss as well.<\/p>\nScale and polish<\/h3>\n