Scaling and Polishing

At your dental check up your dentist will have done a basic assessment of the general health of your gums. Depending on how healthy your gums are your dentist my prescribe a simple routine hygiene appointment or a more in depth series of appointments to get your gums back to their optimum condition.

Gum disease

Gum disease is caused by plaque which consists of food debris and bacteria which is left behind on our teeth every day. The plaque, if not removed by regular toothbrushing, causes irritation to our gums.

Symptoms of gum disease are:

• Inflammation/swelling of the gums
• Bleeding when brushing/eating
• Bad taste in mouth
• Bad breath

What happens at a hygiene appointment?

At your hygiene appointment routine scaling and polishing will be carried out as well practical aspects of how to clean your teeth with the use of floss and interdental brushes.

Plaque, which is made up of bacteria and food debris, sits on the tooth surface and can be easily removed by brushing alone. If left, plaque then mixes with saliva and forms hard deposits on the teeth known as tartar or calculus. This cannot be removed by brushing and needs professional removal by your dentist, hygienist or therapist.
 
If tartar is left, the gums (gingivae) become very irritated and inflammed resulting in bleeding when brushing your teeth and often an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
 
The removal or tartar is done mechanically by dental scaling. Once tartar is removed from the tooth surface, the area will be more easy to clean and effective regular twice daily toothbruhsing and flossing can resolve any inflammation left behind.

At Ideal Dental Care, prevention is the key. During your hygiene visits, your dentist, hygienist/therapist will discuss the correct toothbrush you should be using and demonstrate techniques to ensure your regular brushing regieme is effective. It is essential that you clean inbetween the teeth (interproximally/interdentally) frequently as plaque bacteria can stagnate in these areas causing dental decay (caries) or gum (periodontal) problems. Dental floss / dental tape or interdental brushes should be used to ensure inbetween your teeth stays plaque free.

Hygiene visits are not just about effective toothbrushing, advice can also be given on dietary habits, smoking and fluoride use.

Special Care and Maintenance Visits
 

Dentistry is advancing quickly and implants are more routinely placed for many clients, who prefer not to lose a tooth or want to fill a space where a tooth is lost. The maintenace of implants is paramount to their success and longevity, therefore regular visits to you dentist and hygienist are important.

Your dentist/hygienist can also give advice regarding the cleaning and maintenance of removable appliances, such as dentures or oro-facial prostheses.

Stain Removal

Overtime the tooth surface can become stained by food and drinks, such as red wine, black tea and coffee and also cigarettes. The tooth surface can look discoloured, and patient's can feel embarrassed by their smile.

Staining can be removed easily by professional polishing leaving the mouth fresh and the tooth surface clean and restored to its natural colour.

Ideal Dental Care offer two levels of stain removal. The first is by simple polishing as described above or you can opt for advanced air polishing technology which removes stains from those hard to reach areas such as inbetween the teeth and within the pits and fissures (crinkles) of the tooth.