The dental hygienist's main goal is for you as a patient to have a healthier mouth, free of tartar and
bacteria that can cause tooth loss problems in the future. Dental hygienists often collaborate
together with a dentist to be able to design a good treatment plan for each individual.
A visit to the dental hygienist usually begins with the dental hygienist asking about your dental care history
and if you have any specific complaints, such as bleeding gums.
Then the clinical examination begins; how the patient's gums look in color and shape.
A so-called pocket depth measurement is started where the dental hygienist uses one
pocket depth probe to see if the patient has any deepened gum pockets around their teeth.
This part of the treatment can sometimes be experienced as a bit unpleasant and painful depending on how
the gums are inflamed, but it usually goes very well in the end.
The dental hygienist then begins his job of cleaning around the teeth and along the gum line
from plaque and tartar with their special tools.
Plaque is a sticky coating made up of bacteria and makes your gums inflamed if it gets
stay too long. If the coating is not removed, the plaque is mineralized by your saliva and forms
tartar that cannot be removed by flossing and brushing.
Most often, the dental hygienist uses a combination of manual instruments and ultrasound for
to remove all bacteria and tartar. The manual instruments scrape away the tartar while
the ultrasound vibrates away the tartar while rinsing it clean with water.
When the cleaning is complete, the teeth are then polished to remove surface discolorations caused by
coffee, tea and smoking. This is done effectively with Airflow; a so-called high-pressure washer that consists of
water and bicarbonate powder.
As a final step in the treatment, the dental hygienist goes through the status together with the patient
on oral health as well as recommended aftercare at home with the help of dental floss and
tooth brushing technique.
One of the most important roles of dental hygienists is to give both advice on good oral hygiene and to educate
patients on how to take care of their teeth at home. This is to prevent future
gum problems that can lead to tooth loss in the long run.
After a treatment by the dental hygienist, you may feel a little sore in your gums and feel that they are oozing
a little in the teeth when consuming cold food and drink. This usually goes away after a couple of days.
