Dental Hygiene

Dental hygiene plays a vital role in preventive dental care. Nearly everyone has gum disease to some degree and keeping it in check is essential.

At HQ Dental, we strongly recommend that everyone should attend regular hygiene appointments.

What is Gum Disease?

The definition of gum disease is swelling, infection or soreness of the supporting tissue around the teeth.

There are two kinds of gum disease:

1. The early stage is called gingivitis. This is when your gums appear red and swollen. Your gums might bleed and often the first sign of gingivitis is blood on your toothbrush.
2. If gingivitis is left unchecked it will progress and turn into periodontal disease. This creates bone loss around the teeth making them loose until they eventually fall out. Unfortunately, periodontal disease cannot be cured (or reversed) but it can usually be controlled and the rate of bone loss can be slowed and sometimes stopped.

Most tooth loss in adults is caused by gum disease. Regular hygiene appointments are the most important and effective way of keeping your teeth for life.

Does Gum Disease Cause Other Problems?

As well as causing bad breath, sensitivity and taste issues, gum disease can effect your general health too. Gum disease has now been linked to cardiovascular disease, dementia, strokes, diabetes and poor Covid-19 outcomes.

How is Gum Disease Treated?

The only way to keep gum disease under control is to have regular hygiene treatment.

Gum disease is caused by plaque (which is a by product of bacteria) and to keep it under control it is essential to remove the plaque regularly and thoroughly.

During a standard hygiene appointment the team here at HQ Dental will thoroughly remove all the plaque from around your teeth using ultrasonic or hand scalers.

Our hygienist will also asses how advanced your gum disease is, and if you require intensive perio-treatment. During this procedure we will remove the hard to reach pockets of bacteria from below the gum line. This is called root planing and this deep and thorough treatment is usually carried out a quadrant at a time.. We would usually use local anaesthetic for this treatment.

Airflow Tooth Polishing

At all appointments our hygienists will polish your teeth to remove surface stains but more noticeable results can always be achieved with Airflow Treatment.

This sophisticated cleaning system dramatically cleans and whitens teeth by using a fine jet of pressurised air, water and sodium bicarbonate to safely blast away deeply staining.

Airflow is a cosmetic deep cleaning treatment that significantly improves tooth brightness and appearance.

Price

All of our prices are available on our Patient Price List.