Dental hygiene appointments – are they all the same?

Recently a patient told me that they had seen an advert online that advertised a basic dental hygiene visit and an advanced dental hygiene visit and they were two different prices, she said “isn’t a clean just a clean?”

Not all dental hygiene appointments are the same.

Here at Infinity dental clinic we strive to provide the best dental hygiene treatments possible.  Traditionally, tooth cleaning involved using a dental scaler to remove any tartar and a polisher with paste to polish afterwards, this is what was known as a “scale and polish”.  This is now an outdated term with the new term being Professional mechanical plaque removal (PMPR).  Advances in knowledge, research and technology means we now have less invasive and more effective ways of removing stain, plaque and tartar from the teeth which helps to improve the gum health and ensure you keep your teeth for as long as possible, if not for your whole life.

Our patients also love it as it is a professional stain removal system that tackles tough and stubborn stains, including tea and coffee staining. 

Here at Infinity Dental Clinic we invest in our dental hygiene surgeries and training to ensure we provide the most up to date, comfortable and effective treatments available.  Air-flow is a more modern treatment that we now use as part of all of our standard dental hygiene appointments.  We still provide the traditional method where needed but the majority of patients now opt for the most advanced treatment that will get them the best results.  Patients who have implants, or are having Invisalign, or have a restorations to their teeth will benefit immensely from having airpolish as part of their hygiene appointments as we prefer to avoid using scaling instruments around these restorations/structures in the mouth to minimize any risk of damage.  The pressurized water and fine powder in the airpolish blasts away any plaque bacteria along the gumline and the teeth without causing any damage to the teeth or restorations, this is much more effective and less invasive than cleaning tooth by tooth with a scaler. The scaler can then be used for those areas where the tartar is more stubborn or for deeper cleaning underneath the gumline with local anaesthetic.

We also have an airpolish system that we can use to clean inside periodontal pockets which further adds to the comfort level of this treatment for gum disease at our clinic.  Having the airflow as part of your dental hygiene appointment leaves the teeth feeling extra squeaky clean and you can tell the difference in how they feel when compared to using the regular polish.

Air-flow not only cleans more thoroughly that the standard scaling system, but it is also much more confortable for patients.

Additionally we pride ourselves on being an award winning dental hygiene team who aim to ensure your appointment is as pleasant and comfortable as possible.

Thank you for reading,

Melanie Joyce