Hygiene Dentistry
The hygiene department at Smile in Style is staffed with highly experienced hygienists, as well as dental therapists. The diversity in professional experience of our team enables us to provide our patients with the utmost in hygiene care.
Scaling and Polishing
Professional teeth cleaning is more than just making your smile look and feel its best. In the mouth live several types of bacteria. The types that lead to cavities and gum disease tend to collect with tiny particles of food and saliva into a sticky, clear substance called plaque. This soft substance, if left on teeth, can gradually harden into tartar, becoming more difficult to remove.
Plaque and tartar, which are a primary source of infection and inflammation, can develop on any surface of a tooth, especially in areas that are hard to reach with a toothbrush, such as between teeth or molars at the back of the mouth. If not removed regularly, these substances can lead to cavities, gum disease, chronic inflammation and infection, bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth, even bone loss. More seriously, the gum disease that results from plaque and tartar is linked to health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and premature birth.
Having your teeth cleaned in our hygiene department removes plaque and tartar that house bacteria, and positively impacts on both your oral and general health.
Hygiene appointments are typically scheduled every six to twelve months. The frequency of appointments is based on the current state of your gum health. More frequent visits are needed for the management of gum disease. Your hygiene appointment is completed in about an hour, with your first appointment consisting of an evaluation of gum and bone tissue, the supporting structures necessary for healthy teeth. By creating a chart of your oral health, we then have a baseline from which to track your progress at subsequent appointments. Based on the findings of your evaluation, a personalised treatment plan will be established to properly meet your needs. Then our hygienist will thoroughly clean your teeth using hand scalers as well as an ultrasonic cleaner to effectively remove plaque and tartar. She will then polish your teeth and provide you with personalised oral hygiene instructions designed to meet your personal needs.
The end result of our cleaning techniques will leave your smile brighter and healthier.
Gum Health Assessment
Teeth require a strong foundation, consisting of underlying bone structure and gum tissue. Teeth are attached to bone through their roots and the periodontal ligament. Each hygiene appointment begins with the assessment of these structures, and tracking within a periodontal chart.
Gum disease is called “”silent”” because there are few early warning signs that something is amiss. As bacteria collect and flourish in the tiny spaces where the teeth meet the gums, inflammation will occur. When brushing and flossing, your gums may bleed. This should not happen, even if you brush aggressively. Bleeding gums are a sign of early gum disease. A visit with your dentist at this point may allow you to reverse the underlying infection and preserve oral health.
Leaving gum disease untreated will lead to further problems, and the inability to cure the condition fully. Untreated gum disease eventually invades the areas below the gum line, including bone tissue. Currently, gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Our hygienists carefully assess the state of the gums, recommending laser gum treatment should a pocket greater than 5mm form between a tooth and the gum tissue.
Our team is gentle and precise with gum assessments, using both visualization and careful probing at the gum line. This step helps us recognize the amount of gum recession present, and checks for looseness of teeth, as well as bone and gum levels. X-ray images may also be evaluated during this assessment. Based on the findings of your gum assessment, a treatment plan can be tailored to your needs.
Advanced Decay Detection
Detecting cavities in their earliest stages leads to more conservative, effective treatment, and the promotion of long-term oral health.
We use the Laser Decay Detector, a small pen-like device that uses safe laser technology to measure tooth structure density. With this tool, we are better able to detect even the smallest cavities in the grooves of teeth with an accuracy rate of 90 per cent.
Oral Health Education
Your oral health is affected on a daily basis. This makes your at-home oral hygiene regimen extremely important to sustained health. Our team is dedicated to the early detection of dental problems, intervening early on so as to minimize the need for more complex dental treatment. We also provide vital instruction on precisely how to care for teeth and gums between your dental visits.
More information on oral care can be found on our Oral Care page.
Why hygiene appointments are important?
The mouth-body connection
In maintaining a prime level of health, it is what is done on a regular basis that has the greatest impact. When it comes to keeping your smile healthy and beautiful, your home care habits are of great importance, as oral bacteria are constantly trying to attach to teeth. When bacteria can collect on teeth, they mix with saliva and tiny food particles and form a sticky substance called plaque. In plaque, bacteria can continue to live and thrive, causing serious harm to teeth and gums.
Not all areas of the teeth are easily cleaned. Regular check-ups and cleanings are an essential component to early detection of plaque, tartar, and the resulting inflammation and infection. During these visits, we can assess your oral health, remove plaque, and treat any problematic conditions properly.
There is now ample research which shows a link between gum disease and the development or worsening of health conditions. Evidence is clear that those with periodontal disease may be more prone to health conditions such as heart and respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and pre-term labour or low birth weight.
The importance of oral hygiene explained by Dr. Terry Rose
How important is oral hygiene?
Oral hygiene can cause major health issues. Oral hygiene can be implicated in heart disease, strokes, cancer and a whole range of other issues.
What does Smile In Style offer for dental hygiene?
We perform a range of procedures from full cleanings, full chartings, we check on pocket issues, and what levels of disease are and pretty much cover all hygiene issues.
What are the other procedures offered at Smile in Style for oral hygiene?
We also use a new range of products that are very effective in correcting and radically reducing decay and solving a lot of gum disease issues.
Ongoing maintenance
Maintaining oral and general health is not a one-time thing, it is an ongoing process. Bacteria live in the mouth on a continual basis, and need to be consistently addressed for elimination. A preventive programme that consists of excellent home care, and regular dental check-ups and cleanings, can lead to lifelong oral health, as well as disease prevention and better general health.
The Smile in Style offices are equipped with extensively trained staff with years of practical experience, as well as the innovative tools that lead to positive dental experiences.
Contact us in Moonee Ponds or Sunbury to schedule your check-up.
