Prevention is the best cure
Maintain the health of your mouth and body
Hygiene and Fresh Breath Clinic
We believe that healthy gums are the foundation for healthy teeth, a healthy mouth and indeed healthy living.
Healthy gums and mouth are linked with the prevention of High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Diabetes and other illnesses.
More people understand the importance of Therapists than ever before.
They play a vital role in the dental team and a crucial task in showing each one’s individual best way to keep their teeth and gums free of plaque. They also give advice on diet and preventing dental decay. This is certainly invaluable for your general health and will contribute to prevent more complex treatments on the long term.
How We Can Help
Charlotte and Lizi can help you in the following ways:
- Removal of odour causing bacteria, for a fresh breath
- Treatment of gums disease
- Preventive advice on day-to-day care of your gums and teeth
- Dental care and tooth brushing sessions
- Teeth cleaning and polishing
- Administration of fluoride
- Administration of local anaesthetic (if necessary) for a more comfortable treatment
- Application of fissure sealants
- Routine fillings and extractions of deciduous (baby) teeth.
- Advice on giving up smoking
- Advice on teeth whitening
- Stain removal with AIR-FLOW professional cleaning system - e.g. tea, coffee or red wine stains.
Air-Flow is a system that uses a jet formed by a mixture of air, powder and water. It allows removal of stains from pits, grooves and spaces between teeth.
Our Hygiene Therapists
Our talented Therapists, Charlotte and Lizi, are here to help!
They will work hard to educate and motivate you to maintain a happy, healthy smile.
They have boosted the confidence of innumerous patients like you in the surrounding community and Somerset.
Hygienists bring the Sparkle!
Preventive Advice
We recommend you to follow three simple steps to help keep your teeth and gums healthy:
Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and use interdental brushes or floss
Cut down on how often you have sugary snacks and drinks
Visit your dentist at least once or twice a year (as per recommended)
Cutting down the amount of sugar in your diet, and the number of times that you eat during the day, can help to reduce decay. Your hygienist/therapist can help you by looking at your decay problem, your diet and by making some recommendations for you to consider.
Chewing sugar-free gum after meals can also help to prevent tooth decay. Chewing gum makes your mouth produce more saliva, which in turn cancels out the acid produced in your mouth after drinking and eating.
“Very efficient and friendly service from all the team at Honeycomb. Denplan provides good cover for hygienist and dentist care. I have had good guidance on crowns, a bridge and replacing amalgam fillings. My dentition is now the best it has been for years.”
Dental Hygiene FAQs
What is a hygienist/therapist?
Dental hygienist/therapists are specially trained to work with the dentist in giving care to patients.
They play an important role in dental health care and are mainly concerned with gum health, showing people correct home care and applying preventive materials to the teeth and gums.
What is the hygienist’s role in the Clinic?
The hygienist’s main role is to professionally clean the teeth for the patient. This is usually called scaling and polishing. However, perhaps their most important role is showing the patient the best way to keep the teeth free of plaque. The hygienist will work with your dentist to provide care tailored to your needs.
Can a hygienist do anything else?
Dental therapists can. The dentist will diagnose problems and decide on the possible treatment. Dental therapists can provide simple restorations and treatments (as described above) and are trained to treat gums disease.
Does every practice have a hygienist and/or therapist?
Not all practices have a hygienist and/or a therapist. But more of them now offer this as part of the service to patients, using part-time and full-time hygienists. Hygienists/therapists can now work when a dentist is not there, as long as the patient has been seen by the dentist and the treatment is prescribed for the patient.
Why is this treatment important?
Regular professional cleaning combined with your home care will help keep your mouth healthy. A clean and healthy mouth will improve your appearance, will help you to keep your teeth, will give you a fresh breath and boost your confidence.
Can a hygienist/therapist help prevent dental disease?
This is what the training of the hygienist/therapist is all about. Carefully removing the deposits that build up on the teeth (tartar) and teaching you how to prevent it reforming again, will go a long way to slowing the progress of gum disease. Therapists can also treat gums disease.
By discussing your diet, and recommending other preventive measures, your tooth decay can also be slowed down.
What other help can be given to adults?
Adults can also benefit from having fluoride applied. They can also have anti-bacterial gels and solutions applied under the gum to kill the bacteria causing gum disease.
Another very important part of the therapist’s work is giving regular instruction and advice on home care. They may also suggest giving up smoking, as this will reduce the risk of other illnesses and teeth staining. Recent research has also shown that smokers have more gum disease and lose more teeth than non-smokers.
What help is available for children?
Children can benefit from having application of fluoride gels and solutions to help prevent decay. The permanent back teeth can also benefit from having the biting surfaces sealed. This is done by applying a special plastic coating to the biting surface soon after they come through.
Why doesn’t the dentist do this work?
Some dentists will carry out this type of work. However, it is recognized that the hygienist/therapist has been specially trained to carry out scaling and polishing and can spend longer with you, with added benefits. They are also expert at teaching you how to look after your teeth and gums. Often the therapist will spend a number of appointments getting the gums healthy ready for the dentist to restore the teeth with crowns and fillings.
Will the treatment hurt?
Scaling and polishing is usually pain-free. However, if you do have any discomfort the hygienist can use anesthetic creams, or give you some local anesthetic. It is important that you let the hygienist know at the time so they can help with your discomfort.
Gums therapy tends to be more invasive and more often will require the administration of local anesthetic so the treatment can be successfully completed with no discomfort.
Is hygiene treatment expensive?
Our Hygienist appointments start at £69 for a Routine appointment or £94 for an Advanced appointment (normally related to gum disease or initial consultation). You can see all Hygienist fees in our Price List. The time you need for your session will depend on how complex your therapy is. This will be discussed with your Dentist and/or Hygienist.
Alternatively, all our membership plan patients do not pay any extra for their Hygienist appointments, as it is included in their monthly fee.
What can I do to help the hygienist/therapist?
You can do a great deal to help yourself and the hygienist, as you get in control of your mouth between visits to the practice.
Your therapist will have shown you how to remove plaque with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. You will also have been shown how to clean between your teeth with floss, tape or little brushes.
There are many oral care products now available including specialist toothpastes, powered toothbrushes and mouthwashes. Your hygienist will recommend those that are best for you. If you are unsure, please ask.
“I, like so many other people, used to dread going to the dentist. But at Honeycomb I now feel much more relaxed when attending appointments.This is solely due to the very friendly and very helpful staff. I`ve had quite a lot of work done over the years and after being told that I had quite severe gum disease the dentist outlined exactly what I needed to do to get my teeth and gums in better shape. The dentist was so friendly and helpful, and without his care and invaluable advice and guidance I’m sure I would have a lot less teeth !!! Now, due to sound advice from both the dentist and hygienist, I have a great oral hygiene regime and the results have been outstanding.Thanks to all at Honeycombe for taking care of me and keep up the good work.”