A Visit to the Dental Hygienist

Those of you who know me know that I fulfil several roles at Woodcock Lane Dental Care.  Last week I took on another role – I became the patient!

It had been mentioned to me that my teeth were looking a bit stained (due to my very demanding role of chief tea-drinker), so when Jackie K, our dental hygienist, had a cancellation last week I asked if she would give my teeth a scale and polish –  you are now able to see a dental hygienist without having a prescriptive visit from a dentist, under relatively new legislation, known as direct access.

Having checked my medical status Jackie started by gently probing my gums to check for any signs of gum disease, such as bleeding and pockets.  Explaining each step of treatment along the way, Jackie then carefully used a hand instrument to de-scale my bottom front teeth, following this up by using the ultrasonic scaling machine around my whole mouth.  To ensure she had completed de-scaling she flossed between all my teeth and then she used her “bicarbonate of soda” polisher to remove the more difficult tea-stain and finished off with a final professional polish.  A rinse out and I was all done – my smile was restored, stain-free.  Thank you, Jackie.

Staining doesn’t cause damage to teeth, but can look unsightly.  As already mentioned tea will cause staining, as will coffee, tobacco and red wine.  If you can’t (or don’t want to!) avoid these then I can highly recommend a visit to our dental hygienist to remove the side-effect of staining – just ask for a “cosmetic” scale and polish.