Dentist Vs Hygienist What’s The Difference?
Have you been wondering why you need to pay for a second appointment with a hygienist? Or have you just always wondered what one was? Or maybe you’ve been told by your dentist in Loughton? that you need to see one and you’re worried about the repercussions? Fear not, we at Forest Dental have put together all you need to know about your hygienist, and why they’re such an important part of the Forest Dental Family.
What’s The Difference?
Let’s start out by looking at the difference between your dentist in Loughton? and your hygienist. A dentist is qualified to look at all aspects of your teeth, and can perform check-ups, and procedures to fix your teeth structurally such as filling. A hygienist is there to care for the health of your teeth and gums from a hygiene point of view which means their focus is purely on cleaning the teeth and the maintenance of the teeth rough at home cleaning.
Why Do We Need Hygienists?
Tooth Loss is still mainly caused throughout the UK by a lack of good oral hygiene, which in turn causes gum disease and tooth decay, and this is the reason we need hygienists. If our dentists were fixing all our oral hygiene issues there would be no time for them to do anything else, as trying to maintain healthy gums within a community is a job within itself. So we have hygienists for practicality.
What Do They Do?
You might be wondering what happens in a hygienist appointment that doesn’t happen in an appointment with your dentist in Loughton? Well, firstly you’ll have been referred to the hygienist by your dentist if they suspect there are early signs of gum disease or that perhaps you’re not taking care of your oral hygiene well enough.
Hygiene appointments are super relaxed and just involve a quick inspection of the teeth from top to bottom. Hygienists pay lots of attention to the gums and you may well hear them shouting out letters and numbers to the dental nurse – this isn’t anything to worry about it’s just how they record their findings.
Once they have a clear idea of your oral health they will perform a scale and polish. Which is a wonderful dental treatment and leaves patients feeling super sharp in their super clean smiles.
Scale and Polish
Hygienists are specially trained to complete these deep cleans on patients. These cleans reach down into the gum line and remove any build-up that could be causing any disease or decay. Then the polish just gives the teeth back a lovely bright white look.
Oral Hygiene
The hygienist might well want to talk through your current oral hygiene routine to see what might be missing, this isn’t something to be embarrassed about as lots of people miss things out. The most important thing is that you’re willing to listen and try new things to help maintain your teeth’s health in the long term.
Book in today for an appointment with the hygienist or dentist.