When dental hygienists clean your teeth, they’re providing several different services at once. First, they remove tartar build-up on your teeth. Removing tartar early prevents it from seriously affecting your tooth and gum health by causing decay or disease. Second, they can identify signs of serious health risks like chronic inflammatory gum diseaser. The earlier your specialist identifies these problems, the more effective subsequent treatment will be.

Did you know that there’s a big difference between plaque and tartar? Plaque is a soft, sticky film that builds up on your teeth and under your gums all day. Plaque contains millions of bacteria, which combine with sugars in food to produce acid. Over time, this acid wears away at the enamel on teeth, resulting in cavities. You can remove plaque yourself by brushing and flossing it away.

When plaque isn’t removed, it hardens, or mineralizes, into tartar. Tartar triggers tooth decay just like plaque can, but it’s much harder to get rid of. In addition to the cavity risk, tartar can cause gum recession and disease. Unfortunately, it can’t be removed by brushing and flossing better at home. The only reliable way to remove tartar from your mouth is with a professional’s help. Specialists use specially designed instruments called scalers to reach deposits of tartar and remove them from the teeth and gums. Without professional teeth cleaning, tartar would continue to build up and cause increasingly severe problems.

We believe the old “get your teeth cleaned once every six months” rule is a good standard for most people, but it may not work for everyone. No two people have exactly the same dental health, so it’s impractical to recommend the exact same schedule for everyone. Ultimately, how often you should see your specialist depends on several risk factors. People with a history of chronic gum disease should visit their specialsit more often than others. Diet, health history, personal dental care regimen, and even genetics all affect an individual’s susceptibility to tooth decay.

The best way to figure out how often you should see your specialist is by speaking with your specialist. Ask them how often they recommend you come in to see them and ask them to explain why. Your specialist can point out what your specific risk factors are and how they can help you with them. They’ll be able to tell you how often you should have your teeth cleaned.

You can do a lot to help yourself and the hygienist, as you are the one who looks after your mouth in between visits to the practice. Your hygienist will have shown you how to remove plaque with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.

They will also have shown you how to clean between your teeth with ‘interdental' brushes, floss or tape.

There are many oral care products you can get, including specialist toothpastes, electric or ‘power' toothbrushes, and mouthwashes. Your hygienist will recommend those that are best for you.

We recommend that you follow three simple steps to help keep your teeth and gums healthy:

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and at least one other time during the day, with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.
• Visit your dental team regularly, as often as they recommend.

Cutting down the amount of sugar in your diet, and the number of times that you eat during the day, can help to reduce decay. Your hygienist can help you by looking at your decay problem and your diet, and by making some recommendations for you to consider.

Our Air Polishing treatment is designed to remove simple tooth staining caused by red wine, tea, coffee and smoking.

Although this treatment is not a tooth whitening therapy, air polishing will significantly improve tooth brightness and give you a noticeably sparkling fresh healthy mouth in an instant.

This full mouth detox therapy works by the projection of tiny carbonated particles and water pressure onto the surface and in between each tooth.

Our Air Polishing procedure is a painless treatment carried out by our hygienists and usually takes around 20 minutes to complete.

Air polishing can be used as pre-tooth whitening treatment and is a revolutionary treatment to ensure the maintenance of a healthy radiant smile.