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Professional care
Professional care should be seen as a twofold process: regular check ups and the work of the dental hygienist
Check ups
Regular dental visits form the backbone of a preventive strategy. These are normally at an interval of six months and allow
- Early detection of cavities before they grow and threaten the tooth vitality
- Often early cavities can be encouraged to heal minimising the need for fillings
- Early diagnosis of gum disease limits the potential loss of supporting tissue and ultimately tooth loss
- Without professional care gum disease may not be noticed for years as it can be a "silent" condition
Early detection of more serious conditions such as
- Oral cancer
- Blood disorders e.g. leukaemia, anaemia
- Crohn's disease
- Salivary disorders
- Musculo-skeletal disorders (and related headaches/migraines)
- Mercury toxicity associated with amalgam fillings
The dental hygienist
Research shows that most teeth are lost through gum disease. The hygienist is central to the prevention of this problem, and provides three important services
- Preventive education and advice
- Monitoring of preventive technique and disease progression
- Careful cleaning of the teeth to remove hardened deposits (tartar or calculus) which are impossible for the patient to remove and are a major cause of gum disease
By removal of staining and superficial discoloration, the hygienist can cosmetically enhance your smile and show you how to maintain the results. For children
- Oral hygiene and diet advice is given
- Fissure seals can be placed (these are resins which seal the crevices on the tooth surface which are most prone to decay
- Fluoride gels can be applied for those with a high risk of decay.