4 Reasons to Get a Professional Cleaning from Your Dental Hygienist

Everyone knows how important it is to see their dentist, but far fewer understand the benefits of regular visits to their dental hygienist for professional teeth cleaning. These dental professionals specialise in scaling and polishing the teeth, and they can do things during a professional cleaning session that you can't do at home.

Here are just four reasons why you should arrange cleaning with your dental hygienist.  

1. Sharpen Up Your Technique

Okay, so you brush twice a day with the latest and fanciest electric toothbrush and floss every evening to get at the gumline. Unfortunately, even people dedicated to their oral healthcare regime may be using a slightly incorrect technique. Could be that you aren't quite reaching to the back of your mouth to brush those wisdom teeth, or maybe you're flossing too hard or not quite getting down to the gumline. An oral hygienist will be able to tell how your brushing and flossing technique is then show you how to improve.

2. Remove Tartar

Brushing and flossing is your first defence against oral health problems, but there are some things brushing and flossing can't do. If any plaque manages to harden into tartar, you won't be able to remove it at home. A dental hygienist will use instruments you don't have to get rid of that tartar. They'll usually just use scalers to manually scrape away small deposits. In some cases, an ultrasonic cleaner will be used to get rid of larger pieces.

3. Get Rid of Surface Stains

You don't need to have your teeth whitened to make them whiter. Though discolouration is partially caused by deep stains, some staining compounds sit right on the surface. Brushing removes some of those staining compounds, but not as much as a dental hygienist. They will be able to use a high-speed polishing tool to get rid of those surface stains and leave your smile looking fresher and whiter than ever.

4. Strengthen Your Teeth

Your teeth can be made a little stronger as well as whiter when you visit your dental hygienist. During teeth cleaning, they may apply fluoride directly to the teeth in either foam or gel form to strength them and compensate for the damage done by plaque and tartar. You'll usually be advised not to eat, drink, or rinse for at least 30 minutes afterwards—when that time has passed, your teeth will be stronger than before.

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