It is usually preferable to take preventive measures rather than waiting until the sickness has already set in before getting help.
At The Dental Lounges, our dental hygienists have the required skills and support to provide cutting-edge preventative treatment. Our goal is to assist our patients to maintain healthy gums and avoiding dental issues for a longer period. Get to know your dentist and our dental hygienists better by learning more about what they do.
What is a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists provide preventative work in the field of dental hygiene. They examine the oral health of their patients and specialise in detecting and treating gum disease.
What Is the Role of a Dental Hygienist?
A dental hygienist examines patients, gives preventive care advice and educates them about oral health. They may use a variety of instruments and procedures, including polishing devices for stain removal and x-ray machines for picture capture.
Additionally, dental hygienists can:
- Remove tartar, plaque, and stains from a patient’s teeth.
- Protect teeth with fluoride therapy or sealants.
- Assess a patient’s oral health and communicate the results to a dentist.
- Maintain a patient’s record of results and treatment plans.
Education about oral health is a critical function that a dental hygienist delivers. Dental hygienists demonstrate effective brushing and flossing techniques, explain the effects of nutrition on oral health, and even recommend more appropriate oral care items for a patient’s individual requirements.
What Is the Importance of Dental Hygiene?
Dental health is strongly associated with general health, as shown by several studies.
Chronic health disorders, such as diabetes and heart disease, increase your chance of developing gum disease, dental decay, and tooth loss, among other complications.
Fortunately, these issues may be avoided with basic oral hygiene practices, which include frequent dental check-ups and exams.
When you go to the dentist for a check-up and teeth cleaning, the dental hygienist removes the harmful bacteria from your mouth, basically giving you a new start in the dental chair. They will also examine for symptoms of abnormalities and provide you with recommendations on how to enhance your dental health at home. If you have a chronic medical condition that puts you at risk, it is extremely crucial to be proactive in your health.
What can I expect during my appointment with a dental hygienist?
- When dental hygienists initially meet with you they will inquire about your dental history. Additionally, they will do a cancer screening and thoroughly inspect the skin surrounding your mouth.
- As part of their examination, they will also look for decay and assess its severity and any other dental issues.
- Dental hygienists provide several levels of hygiene sessions. The initial stage of polishing and scaling is the most basic. If there’s any plaque or tartar present, your hygienist will remove it in a single visit or throughout many.
- Airflow is used to remove stains on the second level. This phase is often referred to as sparkling polish. The individuals are often surprised when they see how much cleaner their teeth are as a result.
- Patients with more severe cases of gingivitis may need more specialised care. This necessitates the use of a local anaesthetic to do a deep scaling therapy.
- Laser periodontal treatment is performed on individuals who have advanced periodontitis. It is utilised in combination with normal dental treatments to assist our patients in overcoming severe gum disease and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Dental Hygienist Perform Teeth Whitening Treatments
When it comes to teeth whitening, the dental hygienist is well-qualified to perform the procedure. It is only possible to have a competent or licensed expert apply the whitening procedure since it involves the use of solutions that include larger concentrations of cleaning agents than those that are available over-the-counter. When a dental hygienist administers the treatment to the teeth, he or she either uses a tray or paints the agent right onto the teeth, and then cleans the agent off the teeth after the treatment is over.
Dental Hygienist Offer After-Care and Counseling
It is important to educate the patient on what was found in their mouth, what was done to fix it, and how they can maintain their teeth to avoid a recurrence of it in the future. The behaviours of certain patients can have a negative influence on their teeth, although they may not be aware of it. Dental hygienists use this chance to address the behaviours and why quitting them is a good idea. Oral hygiene professionals may bring up any evidence they find when cleaning the patient’s teeth and mouth during counselling to help make a more effective case for treatment.
A dental hygienist will also provide recommendations for oral hygiene items that can help treat current problems and prevent the emergence of new ones. They may share their enthusiasm for a particular brand, educate patients on the many sorts of cleaning instruments available and the effectiveness of each, and give out samples of goods accessible only at the dentist’s office. A primary purpose of dental counselling is to assist patients to maintain their oral hygiene at home, reducing the frequency and extent of subsequent in-office cleanings.
How Is a Dentist Different From a Dental Hygienist?
Given the autonomous nature of a dental hygienist’s job, you may be asking what the difference is between a hygienist and a dentist or why dental practices often employ both positions.
The basic explanation is that a skilled dental hygienist alleviates the dentist’s workload, permitting the dentist to conduct more complex operations. The dental hygienist is responsible for routine cleanings that are relatively consistent from patient to patient; whereas the dentist is responsible for more sophisticated, personalised treatments such as cavity fillings and root canals.
The amount of time a dental hygienist may spend with a patient also affects a dentist’s ability to detect major oral health problems. A hygienist can detect and diagnose irregularities as they form and should immediately notify the dentist so that such issues can be treated before they progress further.
Wrapping Up
The best way to keep gum disease at bay is to schedule regular visits with a hygienist. If you see our dentist on a regular basis and listen to what they have to say, you may say goodbye to toothaches, inflammation, and bleeding gums.
Dental Hygienists at The Dental Lounges are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in making the best choices for your gum health.