Why are hygienist treatments important?
Dental hygiene and professional teeth cleaning is a crucial part of keeping your teeth and mouth healthy. Over time, harmful bacteria can collect on teeth and gums to form plaque. If this is not cleaned off your teeth, it could:
- Cause gum disease
- Lead to tooth decay and tooth loss
- Harden to become tartar, which is more difficult to remove
- Lead to other diseases which affect your overall general health, such as heart disease or diabetes
Hygienist treatments at FY Smile
Here at FY Smile, we are dedicated to helping our patients achieve the confident, healthy smile of their dreams in a comfortable and relaxing environment. That’s why we have designed our hygiene department around the most current, scientific concept in dental hygiene.
It’s called Guided Biofilm Therapy – and it’s the gold standard of care when it comes to comprehensive dental hygiene.
Guided Biofilm Therapy is a state-of-the-art system which uses airflow jets to disrupt and remove ‘biofilm’ (the harmful plaque that builds up on your teeth and can lead to bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay). It is minimally invasive, effective and comfortable – and may not even feel like a dental appointment at all!
How does Guided Biofilm Therapy work?
Before any treatment begins, our dentist or dental hygienist will thoroughly check your teeth and gums.
- The first step is for us to apply a ‘disclosing’ solution directly on your teeth to reveal where the biofilm is. This is a sort of dye that gives you a clear view of where the mature plaque is on your teeth, and where there is plaque that can be brushed away.
- Then, our dental hygienists use what’s called the AIRFLOW® device to remove the plaque safely and precisely from your teeth with a gentle water spray. Thanks to the disclosing solution, we have a visual aid which lets us clearly see whether the plaque has been removed before using other dental hygiene treatments.
- We are also able to remove biofilm from gum pockets, to make sure that your mouth is thoroughly clean below the gum line as well as above it. If necessary, we can also remove any hard deposits of calculus that may have built up. Although this step is similar to the scaling treatment you may be familiar with, there is no discomfort involved.
- Finally, with the help of the disclosing solution, we can then easily check your teeth to make sure that all the biofilm and calculus has been removed.
Why do we offer Guided Biofilm Therapy for dental hygiene appointments?
There are many reasons why we choose Guided Biofilm Therapy over traditional dental hygiene methods:
It is more comfortable and less invasive than traditional hygiene treatments, which use different instruments
Thorough removal of biofilm from your teeth and gums, and even hard deposits of calculus
The disclosing solution helps us quickly and easily identify biofilm and ensure that your treatment is targeted
You are also able to see where the plaque is on your teeth and better understand the importance of hygiene appointments
How can you keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy between hygienist appointments?
The best way to maintain good oral health is to adopt and follow good oral hygiene practices at home, including brushing and flossing correctly, and using antibacterial mouthwash.
In your dental hygiene consultation, your dental hygienist will talk to you about the health of your teeth and offer advice on how to take the best care of them.