But there are ways to minimise the occasions when a visit to the dentist involves anything more than a simple inspection and polish. One good way to do this is to see a dental hygienist on a regular basis. If you’ve never considered this before perhaps now is the time to do so.

Is it really worth seeing a dental hygienist?

Yes it can make all the difference to your dental hygiene. It is particularly worthwhile if you suffer from bad breath, gum disease or discolouration of your teeth.

A dental hygienist is able to provide advice and insight into how best to look after your teeth and gums. As such their role is typically more one of prevention than anything else. They can scale your teeth and polish them so they look their best, but they can also use sealants to strengthen and protect the back teeth that are more involved with chewing.

Can you trust your dental hygienist?

Yes, most definitely – they have to go through intensive training for a minimum of two years on a full time basis, so this is not a casual role. They have in depth knowledge about how to prevent gum disease and fillings. They also know how various elements in our lives can lead us to damage our teeth, sometimes without us realising.

Does regular brushing and good dental hygiene really help prevent bad breath and gum disease?

Yes – and a good dental hygienist can advise on these matters. The prevention of fillings is an important part of good dental care; it is always better to prevent them than to have them done when a cavity has already appeared in a tooth.

The hygienist will be able to advise you on how to brush your teeth, how often and how to take care of cleaning in between your teeth as well. They can also identify signs of gum disease and give advice on how to reduce and get rid of cases of gum disease when they occur. As any good dental hygienist will tell you, simply brushing twice a day and taking the time to clean in between your teeth by flossing can do a lot to help protect your teeth for the long term.

Will I be able to ask about any aspect of my dental health that concerns me?

Yes; an appointment with a dental hygienist is an excellent opportunity to make sure you ask all the questions you need to with regard to your dental health. For example you may have the odd niggle in a particular tooth that can be checked out. Alternatively you might have sensitive teeth; the dental hygienist will be able to check them and provide potential solutions for this. They can also advise on specific foods that can damage the teeth or which should only be eaten at certain times of the day.

As you can see you can learn a lot from a visit to a dental hygienist. Even if you think your teeth are in good order it is worth seeing a hygienist so you can keep them that way for the long term.