Marsh Lane Dental has a team of hygienists that play a dedicated role in ensuring your oral hygiene is maintained and are working to actively prevent any decay. There is a misconception that the hygienist is there to just clean, so we have broken down some of the stages of a hygienist visit.

Assessment

You will be assessed by your hygienist for any problems. This may be with your gums or otherwise. They will look at the soft tissues, the tongue, the palate, the soft tissues along with the teeth. The team will assess your overall health and medical history, looking for any systemic problems that may contribute to gum disease. An example of this is diabetes.

We will usually ask about smoking and alcohol as these can contribute to problems with the teeth.

BPE – Basic Periodontal Exam

Your hygienist will carry out a basic periodontal examination. This is a screen for gum disease. They are checking the size of the pockets between the gums and teeth. This is the first tool used to diagnose gum disease. If pockets are present, they will use this information to curate a treatment plan for you.

Six Point Pocket Chart

Your Hygienist may tell you they are going to do a six-point pocket chart. This involves taking 6 measurements around each tooth. They are measuring the pocket depths around your teeth. The deeper to pockets there is an indication of more severe gum disease.

Oral Hygiene Instruction

At school we are not taught how to clean our teeth properly. Here at Marsh Lane Dental, we believe that its is never too late to learn. Your hygienist will go through the basics of using an electric toothbrush and introduce some interdental cleaning. This is usually using floss of interdental brushes to help clean around the gums. You will get a bespoke plan for cleaning your teeth. One size does not fit all when it comes to dental hygiene.

Scaling and Polishing

With the aim to remove all the build up around the teeth, the hygienists use a number of methods to carefully remove all the tartar build up. Using combination of ultrasonic scalers, polishers, and hand instruments we look to get the teeth gleaming white. They will usually finish with a minty fresh polish; this is to remove those tea and coffee stains and give you a beautiful white smile.

Radiographs and Referrals

The Hygiene team at Marsh Lane Dental work closely with all our dentist to ensure you have complete care. You may be referred for x-rays to one of our dentists or recommend further treatment if anything Is spotted that would benefit from a dentist opinion. Seeing the hygienist regularly helps ensure that your oral health is checked and anything is spotted early and treated quickly.