From Scale and Polish to Biofilm: The Evolving Role of Dental Hygiene
Over recent years’ our long-standing patients may have noticed a difference during their hygiene appointment. They will have seen a shift in how our hygienists and therapists deliver the messaging and advice about gum disease and oral health, and the clinical treatment they provide.
In the good old days patients would attend every year or six months for their ‘check up and scale and polish’. The hygienist would remove the tartar and staining and providing they didn’t need to come back for any further treatment, the feeling was that was ‘job done’ until the next reminder dropped on to the mat.
Without getting too technical, it’s not just the staining and tartar that causes the gum disease. During your more recent visits You may have heard the words ‘Bacteria or Biofilm’. It is the Biofilm that causes disease, and it starts to accumulate minutes after its removal. Within weeks, it can initiate disease if left to mature, which will be in the nooks and crannies.
Hence why you will have also noticed more discussion about how you clean your teeth and what with.
Only clean the teeth you want to keep!
It’s not that we don’t trust patients to do a good job, it’s just that biofilm is so complex to remove from all the hard-to-reach areas that patients need detailed advice as to which oral health aids work better for you, for example what colour tepe brushes to use to get to those tricky areas.
During your hygiene appointment we will provide a thorough and deep clean to remove as much of the tartar and bacteria as is possible but the real work starts with you when you get home. As mentioned earlier it all starts to build again as soon as you leave the practice!
Daily defence - Its over to you
Maintaining a healthy smile starts with a consistent and effective daily routine. Beyond brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes each time, paying close attention to the gum line, incorporating interdental cleaning is crucial. This means flossing daily to remove plaque and food particles from between your teeth where your toothbrush can’t reach, or using interdental brushes (like TePe brushes) if you find them easier and more effective for cleaning wider gaps.
This simple yet powerful combination of brushing and interdental cleaning disrupts the harmful bacteria that can lead to cavities, gum disease, and bad breath, forming the cornerstone of your proactive approach to a lifetime of oral health.
Singing from the same hymn sheet
At Ghyllmount, to avoid mixed messaging between the dentist’s and hygienists it is important that all the clinical team are singing from the same book and offering consistent advice.
The Section 3 Guidelines offers clinicians guidance to standardise the treatment of gum disease in patients. Dominic Ward who provides periodontal (treatment of gum disease) care at Ghyllmount spent an evening with our clinical team discussing S3 guidelines and putting together agreed protocols and procedures, so all our patients are receiving consistent and up to date advice and treatment.
SO much more than a scale and polish
As an industry, collectively we need to move away from the ‘scale and polish’ mindset. The hygienist plays a key role in preventing and managing gum disease by removing plaque and tartar, educating patients on proper oral hygiene, and recommending appropriate treatment when necessary.
In essence, a dental hygiene appointment is a proactive step towards maintaining a healthy smile and preventing future dental problems.
