Dental Hygiene Appointments: Why You Shouldn’t Miss Them

When you visit South Benfleet Dental Care for your regular check-up, we always suggest booking a hygiene appointment at the same time. Your regular hygiene appointments should form part of your preventative dental care plan. In the longer term, they can help you save money and time and you’ll also get the reassurance that comes from knowing you are looking after your teeth and gums. Regular preventative dental care is the best way to ensure your smile will always look its best.

Why Hygiene Appointments Are So Important

Every day a sticky layer of plaque will build up over your teeth and gums. Plaque is basically bacteria and unless you remove it daily through regular brushing and flossing, then it will soon harden into a substance called calculus or tartar. This can happen within just a couple of days of neglect. The problem with tartar is that the bacteria within it will infect and inflame your gums so you are likely to develop gum disease. This disease is incredibly common and is the main reason for tooth loss in the world, which is why you’ll find our dentist in South Benfleet is so keen for you to avoid it!

During your hygiene appointment your teeth will be scaled and polished. Scaling is a process that uses special hand tools to gently scale or scrape the teeth to remove all areas of calculus. Once your teeth have been scaled, they will be polished with a gentle polishing paste. The treatment will help protect your gums from infection and disease and it is a really great way to help remove some surface stains. A nice side effect is noticing your teeth will look a bit brighter and may have an extra sparkle compared to before and your breath may well be fresher. A hygiene appointment is a very simple and non-invasive way to keep your gums strong and healthy.

Get Advice on Your Home Dental Care Routine

Dental education is another part of a hygienists’ role, as they can advise you if you are missing out any areas when you brush or floss and can offer advice on how to improve your brushing. If you hate flossing, then please ask us for tips and perhaps a practical demonstration as we know many people struggle with this task. It is essential that you floss every day as it’s by far the best way to remove plaque from in between each tooth. If you do find it tricky, we can also recommend other tools to try such as interdental brushes that are a bit like a tiny toothbrush that fits right in between your teeth. These can be easier to manipulate than dental floss and come in a wide range of sizes to fit in between even the most tightly packed in teeth.

Although we’d like you to visit our dentist in South Benfleet every six months, we know some people find this tricky. If you haven’t visited a dentist for a while, then you can always book an appointment with our hygienist first of all as there is no need to see the dentist at the same time. Just give us a call to arrange your appointment on 01268 793485.