Benefits of professional teeth cleaning
How Regular Dental Hygienist Appointments Can Transform Your Oral Health
Maintaining good oral health requires more than just daily brushing and flossing. Regular appointments with a dental hygienist play a critical role in preventing common dental problems and supporting long-term wellbeing.
At Vere Dental, our professional hygiene services focus on removing plaque, preventing gum disease, and providing tailored advice to help patients achieve and maintain healthy smiles.
The Importance of Preventive Dental Hygiene
Dental hygienists are trained professionals dedicated to preventive oral healthcare. Their primary role is to perform thorough cleanings, known as scaling and polishing, to remove plaque and tartar from teeth surfaces and below the gum line. These deposits can lead to gum inflammation, known as gingivitis, which may progress to more serious periodontal disease if not addressed promptly.
Gum disease remains one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults. Regular hygiene visits help reduce this risk by maintaining healthy gums and identifying early warning signs. In fact, research shows that patients who maintain consistent dental hygiene appointments have lower rates of tooth decay and periodontal disease.
Reducing the Risk of Systemic Health Issues
Poor oral health has been linked to several systemic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes complications, and respiratory infections. Inflammation caused by untreated gum disease may allow harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream, contributing to these health problems. Regular hygiene appointments at Vere Dental support both oral and overall health by controlling plaque and bacteria levels in the mouth.
Tailored Oral Health Advice for Every Patient
At Vere Dental, our hygienists provide more than just a teeth cleaning. They offer tailored advice on brushing techniques, flossing, and dietary choices to suit each patient’s needs. For patients with specific concerns, such as tooth sensitivity, gum recession, or smoking-related staining, our team provides personalised solutions to address these issues effectively.
Patients with underlying health conditions, including diabetes, benefit from targeted oral hygiene plans to reduce their increased risk of gum disease. Children also gain lifelong benefits from early hygiene appointments, developing good habits from a young age.
The Role of Professional Cleaning in Preventing Tooth Decay
Dental hygienists play a key role in preventing cavities. Bacteria on teeth convert sugars from food into acidic plaque. When left on our teeth, plaque turns into tartar which erodes enamel, triggers gum disease, and leads to tooth decay. Professional cleanings remove plaque and tartar from areas that are difficult to reach with regular brushing, lowering the risk of cavities and promoting healthier teeth.
In addition to preventing tooth decay, scaling and polishing remove surface stains caused by coffee, tea, red wine, and smoking. Patients often leave appointments with a fresher, brighter smile and improved confidence.
Oral Cancer Screening and Early Detection
During hygiene appointments, our team at Vere Dental performs routine oral cancer screenings. These screenings are quick and painless but can be lifesaving. Early detection significantly improves the success of treatment, and regular assessments ensure patients receive prompt care if abnormalities are detected.
How Often Should You See a Dental Hygienist?
For most patients, visiting a dental hygienist every six to nine months is recommended. However, individuals with gum disease, smokers, diabetics, or those with a history of dental issues may benefit from more frequent appointments. Our hygienists assess each patient’s needs and create tailored plans to support optimal oral health.
Booking Your Hygiene Appointment
Regular dental hygiene visits are an investment in your oral and general health. At Vere Dental, our experienced team is committed to helping you maintain a healthy smile through professional care and personalised advice.
Schedule your next dental hygiene appointment today and take a proactive step toward better health.
Airpolisher - Why can this improve my dental health?
What is Air Polisher & why does Vere Dental provide it during almost all hygiene treatments?
Air polishing is an innovative treatment that can improve the look of your teeth and prevent disease in the mouth! It removes staining and plaque effectively!
What is plaque and how to get your plaque off your teeth?
Plaque biofilm is a combination of bacteria and other proteins which adhere to the tooth surface. These bacteria lead to diseases such as tooth decay and periodontitis (gum disease). The plaque is removed with effective toothbrushing at home and air polishing during your hygiene appointment for any areas you are missing.
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What is the Air Polisher technology?
It is a minimally invasive technique that uses a mixture of compressed air, fine powder, and water to remove external tooth staining (on the outside of your teeth) and harmful plaque bacteria. It can also be used safely on dental restorations such as implants, crowns, and bridges.
Air polishing provides a leading-edge treatment and significantly reduces time in the dental chair to remove staining and these harmful bacteria.
There is a small proportion of patients who air polishing may not be suitable for, your hygienist will carefully consider your medical history to create a tailored and bespoke treatment plan for you.
This article was written by Alexandra Ackerman and Amandine Beke
What causes staining?
Teeth staining can be caused by many things, most commonly, tea, coffee, red wine, smoking and chlorhexidine-based mouthwashes.
Due to the powerful yet gentle nature of air polishing, stains can be removed in between the teeth which can be very difficult to remove with conventional methods.
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What does a dental hygienist do during the air polishing procedure at your hygienist appointment?
During the appointment, your hygienist will use the power of the powder, air, and water to remove the staining. They will do so at the start of the session. The air polisher is always followed by a tartar clean with water-based electrical instruments as well as hand instruments.
At the end of your treatment the hygienist will polish your teeth with a fluoride based polishing paste to replenish your teeth.
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Book in with our hygienist today for your hygiene appointment which includes air polishing as a standard.
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Link between Periodontal Disease & Diabetes Mellitus
What is Diabetes Mellitus, also known as Diabetes?
To be able to process sugar in our blood we need a hormone called insuline.
When someone suffers from Diabetes there is an issue with this hormone, there might not be enough of it our the use of it is disrupted.
There are 3 types
1. Diabetes type 1
The cells that produce insuline in the pancreas are being destructed
10 to 20% of patients with diabetes suffer from this type
Patients are usually diagnosed before the age of 21 years old
Patients are treated by giving these patients a substitution for their lack of insuline.
2. Diabetes type 2
These patients suffer from insuline resistency, their production can also be reduced
Most common type of diabetes: 80-90% of patients with diabetes suffer from this type
The start of this type is usually gradual and is usually considered less severe
Patients usually only start suffering from it, are usually only diagnosed from the age of 40 years old.
3. Gestational Diabetes: this type develops during pregnancy related and usually dissapears once the baby is delivered
Other chronic inflammations like gum disease have a considerable effects on Diabetes because they increase systemic inflammation, meaning inflammation over the whole body.
- Diabetes could develop for the worse
- Control of the Diabetes might become more difficult
- Treatments of diabetes might not be as predictable or they might not have the desired outcome
- The presence of other chronic inflammations can lead to complications of Diabetes
- The quality of life can be considerably lower for patients with both Diabetes and chronic inflammations like periodontal disease.
What is the specific link between gum disease and diabetes
- Diabetics with periodontitis (severe gum disease) have more and a higher level of inflammation markers in their blood
- Diabetics with badly controlled diabetes will have even higher levels of these inflammation molecules in their blood.
- Diabetes affects the whole body, including our mouth
- People with gum disease could be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later on by 30% to 70% (studies have variable results but they all conclude that the increase is statistacally considerable)
- Diabetes patients have 3 times more chances to develop gum disease. Therefore, gum disease is a common complication of diabetes.
- When looking at the initial stage of gum disease, called gingivitis, research cannot seem to see an increase in the risk of diabetes
- Both Diabetes and gum disease can go unnoticed for a long time. Tooth loss from gum disease can make it harder to eat a healthy diet.
- An important study from Williams and Mahan shows that more than half of their diabetic patients required a significantly lower amount of Insuline to maintain healthy blood sugar levels after they had proper periodontal treatment.
- A study by D’Aiuto shows that proper periodontal treatment significantly lowered the creation of unhealthy byproducts related to the unhealthy levels of sugar in the blood.
It also improved kidney function.
Where can you find even more information?
The European Federation of Periodontology has a great amount of easy to follow advice and information, still used as the standard advice in the UK too