Everybody is different; how often you need to see a hygienist depends on how healthy your gums are.
Normally, if you have a history of gum disease, we try and see you every six months to help prevent it from occurring again. Occasionally, we need to see you more often, if you have deep gum pockets, or if you are having difficulty with your home care. This ensures the gum pockets remain as plaque-free as possible helping maintain gum health.
By the time we see bleeding around a pocket it is telling us that the gum condition is active and may be getting worse again. It is important to remember that you cannot clean down into the pocket yourself at home, so professional hygienist intervention combined with good homecare is important to achieve optimal gum health.
What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?
Dental Hygienists are trained healthcare professionals. They are licensed to practice with the Dental Council of NZ. A dental hygienists major role is the prevention and non-surgical treatment of periodontal (gum) diseases.
A dental hygienist will help guide and promote healthy oral behaviours to help stabilise and maintain good gum health. Dental Hygienists are skilled in gum scaling and rootplaning (specialized cleaning of the root surface of your tooth).
As part of providing exceptional dental hygiene care, our hygienists may:
- Complete oral health assessments that include a review of your health history, screen for oral cancers, record gum health and signs of gum loss (recession).
- Take and interpret xrays
- Remove plaque and calculus (tartar) from above and below the gumline
- Apply agents to the teeth to protect against cavities (such as fluoride and dental sealants)
- Provide topical and/or local anesthetics if any treatment is uncomfortable
- Show you oral hygiene techniques to improve your home-care to help you maintain healthy teeth and gums
Why Do I Need to See a Hygienist?
The dentist will refer you to a hygienist if there is gum inflammation caused by plaque and tartar buildup. To stop gum disease from progressing, the dentist may recommend periodontal therapy or deep cleaning performed by the dental hygienist to treat and get rid of bacteria in the gum pocket. Our dental hygienists have specialized equipment to clean deeply into these unhealthy gum pockets which cannot be reached by a toothbrush.
