At London Holistic Dental Centre we very firmly believe in working together as a team. I don’t just mean those of us in the practice, we include you in that approach too. David and either myself or Maryam combine our skills and knowledge, and together with your commitment we make what is hopefully the dream team who will ensure a truly holistic approach to keeping your teeth and gums healthy for many decades to come.
Why are your hygiene appointments so important?
You may have seen our recent blog about the rising standards of dentistry in the UK, mainly due to us now being one of the best countries in the world for brushing and cleaning between our teeth twice daily. Of course, we’d like to think this is the rest of the country catching up on what we have been working with our patients to achieve for many years.
One of the terms which I hate hearing is ‘scale and polish’ which was an old reference to what was done at a hygiene appointment. In reality Maryam and I do much more than just give you a deep cleaning of your teeth and gums. We offer advice on how to brush and also how to clean between your teeth and what are the best tools to use, spot issues which may be arising from your diet, keep detailed records to spot any changes in your dental health and of course check for any changes which may need to be monitored. In short, we do our best to help prevent you needing any invasive treatments.
What are the tools we recommend?
In order to prevent gum disease (periodontitis) which is the most common cause of tooth loss in the UK we advise you to brush, floss and rinse twice a day and depending on your specific dental health regimen, which we discuss with you at length during your appointment, there are a range of tools we advise using which include:
Interdental brushes
Cleaning with an interdental brush prevents gum inflammation, cavities and bad breath. You’re sure to have seen them in the practice, they come in a range of different colours (which indicate their size, the larger the gaps between your teeth then the larger brush you’ll have to use). The most popular brand is TePe and we are fully stocked in all of the size variants.
Tongue scraper
This device will help to remove bacteria and food debris from your tongue and is particularly helpful in patients with halitosis (bad breath). Almost half of the bacteria in our mouths live on our tongue, so if you frequently eat pungent food like curries or garlic, or if you’re a smoker, then you should consider using one daily.
YOUR choice of toothbrush
Whilst I prefer electric toothbrushes over manual, the advice I always give is that it’s less important which kind of toothbrush you’re using, and more important that you’re using one twice daily for at least two minutes each time.
At London Holistic Dental Centre, we practice preventive dentistry, the goal of which is to keep your mouth and teeth healthy for life. By regularly visiting the practice you can prevent problems before they ever get a chance to happen. The two most common causes of people losing teeth are gum disease and decay and we can help to prevent both.
If you would like to book a hygiene appointment my either Maryam or I please call Laune on 020 7487 5221.
