Regular Visits to the Hygienist Will Keep Your Teeth Nice and Clean
Ever since our very first dentist appointment as kids, we’ve been told time and time again about the importance of maintaining our teeth. As we all very well know, once your adult set grows through, we need to make them last. Luckily, with new innovations in dental hygiene, it’s become a lot easier over the years to keep our teeth healthy and our smiles looking great. However, if you’re not carrying out the correct cleaning techniques on a consistent basis, you may run into problems.
This is where a dental hygienist can help. In much the same way that a nurse supports a doctor, a dental hygienist is on hand to aid a dentist in helping you take the best care of your teeth and maintain a healthy smile.
Yet, although dental hygienists offer an essential component to any dentist’s surgery, you might not know exactly what they do and how they can help keep your smile looking great. As a surgery with experienced dental hygienists to hand, we know a thing a or two about how they can help to keep your pearly whites looking great - read on to discover the benefits they can offer.
What exactly does a dental hygienist do?
Although both a dentist and a dental hygienist work together to ensure your smile remains shining, the two play slightly different roles in order to bring you a more rounded and comprehensive dental health care plan.
Whilst a dentist works to achieve better teeth and gums through a range of procedures from prescribing medication to complex surgery, a dental hygienist is, as the name would suggest, primarily focused on dental hygiene. Usually working in tandem with a dentist, a dental hygienist will work to educate patients on best practice when it comes to caring for your teeth, offering tips to ensure you’re maintaining good oral hygiene.
Dental hygienists are also responsible for cleaning procedures such as scaling, which aims to reduce the amount of plaque build-up on your teeth, and polishing. Both of these procedures are essential for keeping your teeth healthy and for ensuring they stay looking white and clean.
Of course, before we look at why it can be a good idea to see your local dental hygienist for a check-up, it’s important to understand the risks of not properly caring for your teeth. Without proper home care and regular visits to your dentist surgery, you could end up having to deal with one or more of the below consequences.
No one wants to be known as the one with the foul-smelling breath, yet, if you’re not taking proper care of your mouth, teeth and gums, this is an unfortunate side-effect. Brushing and flossing your teeth are the main ways to minimise the build-up of bacteria and food particles that are the main causes of bad breath.
By not keeping on top of this, bad breath will be the least of your worries, as the below risks show.
The mouth bacteria that thrive when you don’t regularly clean your teeth will develop into a nasty substance that sits on the surface and in between your teeth. Known as plaque, this sticky layer can be brushed away with relative ease, however, if you allow it to sit on your teeth it can harden, turning into a substance known as tartar.
The longer tartar is left on the surface of the tooth, the more damage it can cause. This can lead to gingivitis, a condition which causes your gums to become inflamed and bleed when brushed.
If you still haven’t made the steps towards rectifying this problem, gingivitis can quickly turn into full-blown gum disease, also known as periodontitis. This occurs when your gums separate from the tooth, giving bacteria the space to create infections near the bone and connective tissue that holds your teeth, breaking them down.
The final outcome of bad oral hygiene and a lack of regular check-ups at your local dentists is tooth loss. As the tooth dies and disconnects from the tissue and bone holding it in place, it will invariably come loose and fall out.
Another lesser-known outcome of subpar oral hygiene is how it can affect your body as a whole. It’s important to remember that your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body, meaning if you’re not keeping it clean you could put other areas of your body at risk of infection.
The benefits of visiting a dental hygienist
Although the above risks can sound a little worrying, it’s never been easier to ensure that your teeth remain healthy. A dental hygienist can play an instrumental part in your oral healthcare routine. Yet, how can visiting local dental hygienist benefit your teeth?
Educating on best dental practice
If all you’re doing to keep your teeth clean is a simple brush twice a day, it’s likely you’re going to run into trouble later down the line. Luckily, by visiting a dental hygienist, you can learn the correct procedures and lifestyle choices to ensure your smile shines.
Dental hygienists can show you everything from correct brushing and flossing methods to diet advice to minimise the chances of tooth wear, decay and other more serious issues such as oral cancer.
Although this might sound a bit counterintuitive, a trip to the dental hygienist can be a great way of steering clear of having to see the dentist for more serious afflictions.
This is now easier than ever to do since the Direct Access rules change in 2013, allowing patients to go straight to hygienist rather than being referred by a dental practitioner.
As we’ve mentioned, plaque and tartar are the main catalysts of gum disease. It’s an extremely common issue, with 9 in 10 people suffering from some form of it.
However, a dental hygienist can quickly and easily polish and scale your teeth, keeping tartar at bay and stopping the development of gum disease in its tracks.
Smiling is a part of human nature and the physical embodiment of a happy individual. Yet, if you’re worried about the state of your teeth, you may begin to grow self-conscious of your oral appearance. With a dental hygienist, however, you can restore the shine to your smile through comprehensive polishing and cleaning procedures.
Manor Road Dental - Swansea’s premier dental practice
Caring for your teeth is as essential as caring for the rest of your body and, with only one set of teeth to last you a lifetime, proper dental hygiene is crucial. Although oral care starts at home, having an expert dentist and dental hygienist on call will minimise any risks.
If you’re in the Swansea area wondering ‘where can I find a quality dentist near me?’ get in touch with Manor Road Dental today. As one of Swansea’s most qualified dental surgeries, our team of dentists and dental hygienists are on hand to ensure your teeth are healthy.
Providing both general and cosmetic dental services, Manor Road Dental is here to help you smile with confidence. For more information on our services, visit our website or get in touch on 01792 653 826 to book a consultation.
