Dental Hygienist

Top reasons to book an appointment with the dental hygienist

Published on 03/02/2025

Dental hygienists are specially trained to give advice on preventative dental care and oral hygiene advice. They work closely with the dentist by providing deep cleaning treatment, often referred to as a scale and polish. This treatment helps to remove any plaque or calculus build up on your teeth. If left untreated, this can lead to gum disease and tooth loss.

Regular deep cleaning treatments with the hygienist will help to keep your mouth and gums healthy, ensuring that you keep your natural teeth for as long as possible. The hygienist will also be able to devise a personalised oral hygiene plan for you to continue at home in between visits and will advise on the oral hygiene products best suited to your individual needs. 

They will also give focused advice on the care of implants, caring for your teeth while undergoing orthodontic treatment and may also advise on diet and lifestyle factors.

Benefits of visiting the dental hygienist

Benefits of visiting the dental hygienist

Not sure if a dental hygienist visit is right for you? There are a number of benefits to seeing the hygienist:

  • You can learn more about how to care for your teeth and enjoy demonstrations on effective tooth brushing techniques to remove plaque without causing tooth wear and receding gums.

  • Discussions on the latest oral hygiene products. If you’re not sure which products are right for you, your dental hygienist will point you in the right direction.

  • Advice on the best aid to clean in-between teeth. Flossing can be difficult, but with personalised advice, you’ll soon be flossing like a professional.

  • Detailed explanation of periodontal disease. When you’re more informed about the risks, you’ll be better positioned to protect your oral health.

  • Removal of plaque and hard calculus deposits. This helps to reduce the risk of gum disease by preventing bacteria from building up on your teeth and gums.

  • Discussion on the secondary factors that cause periodontal disease, for example smoking and diabetes. If you have specific health conditions you need to consider, your hygienist can help you to understand how these might impact your oral health.

  • Advice on fluoride and apply fluoride varnishes to help remineralise early signs of tooth caries. This can help to reverse some of the damage done by dietary choices.

  • Polishing the teeth to remove food and drink stains. Surface staining can leave your teeth looking yellow and dull. By removing surface stains, your teeth will look healthy and bright.

  • A dental hygienist cleaning is often recommended before starting teeth whitening treatment. This will help to remove surface stains so the whitening chemicals can easier penetrate the tooth and flush away deep-set stains.

  • If you are a smoker, you may experience further benefits, as your teeth and gums will be impacted by the presence of smoke and other toxins found in cigarettes.

Caring for your teeth at home

Caring for your teeth at home

In between visits to the hygienist, it is important to ensure that you follow a good oral hygiene routine. There are three simple steps to ensure that your teeth stay in tip top condition.

  1. Brush your teeth for two minutes, prior to bed and at least one other time during the day, using a fluoride toothpaste. Most people like to brush as soon as they wake up or after their breakfast.

  2. Use interdental products to clean in between your teeth to reach those areas where brushing misses. As much as 40% of the tooth surface is hidden between teeth, so this is an essential step to make sure you are fully cleaning your teeth at home.

  3. Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks. Ideally limiting them to mealtimes to reduce the number of sugar attacks your teeth have every day. Removing fizzy drinks from your diet is one of the best things you can do for your oral health.

Through a combination of caring for your teeth at home, visiting the dentist for regular checkups and visiting the dental hygienist, you are putting yourself in the best possible position to safeguard your oral health. We will be able to spot early problems before they become much more severe.

Dental hygienist stain removal

Dental hygienist stain removal

If you are concerned by staining on your teeth, here at Leigh Dental Centre we are able to offer the latest Air polishing treatment. Air polishing is a very effective and painless way of rapidly removing stains from your teeth to return your brilliant smile.

Over time your teeth can become dull due to the foods that we eat and drink on a daily basis such as tea, coffee, red wine and curry. Our hygienist using the revolutionary air-polishing system could help remove those unsightly stains.

These surface stains could be making your teeth appear dull and discoloured. If the staining is more severe, we can also recommend teeth whitening treatments that will help to penetrate deep into the tooth and flush out staining particles.

Your dental hygienist can also advise on the right cosmetic dentistry procedures that you might want to consider to improve your smile. If you’re happy with how your smile looks, we can just advise on how to keep your teeth healthy.

Getting over a fear of the dentist

Getting over a fear of the dentist

If you are struggling with dental phobia, you might benefit from a trip to the dental hygienist. This is typically a very relaxed treatment and you might feel more at ease. Many people find the dental hygienist less scary than a full dental checkup.

You can have a quick checkup and your hygienist will clean your teeth professionally. This can be an important part of getting over fear of the dentist, as it will help you to become accustomed to the sights, sounds and sensations of the dentist.

As you become more confident, you can then progress on to visiting the dentist for a checkup. By this stage, you will feel more confident and are less likely to let your fear of the dentist hold you back from taking care of your oral health.

How do I visit a dental hygienist?

A new regulation passed by the General Dental Council (GDC) now means if you are concerned about stains on your teeth you can directly arrange an appointment with our hygienist without seeing the dentist first. This is known as direct access treatment and it is revolutionising dental hygiene access.

So why not find out what our hygienist can do to help you improve your smile. Call Leigh Dental Centre today on 01702 472929 to book a consultation.