Why Oral Hygiene Counts
What plaque does when it isn't removed, how gum health connects to the rest of you, a daily routine that protects you, and what a hygienist can do that you can't.
Why Does Good Oral Hygiene Matter So Much?
Decay and gum disease account for most adult tooth loss, and both begin with plaque that has been left on the teeth. Clearing it away every day keeps your mouth healthy, keeps the cost of treatment down and supports your general health, because gum disease is associated with diabetes and heart problems. In Lanark, a hygiene visit with Fiona Dyer, our hygienist, costs £70, and both of our dental plans include them.
Plaque Is at the Root of It
A few hours after you brush, slide your tongue over your teeth and you'll notice a faintly fuzzy film. That is plaque, a colony of living bacteria that clings to the teeth and grows back daily. Those bacteria feed on sugar and give off acids and irritating by-products as they do.
If nothing disturbs it, plaque starts to set hard within a day or two, turning into tartar (calculus): a chalky crust, cream or brown in colour, that fixes itself to the tooth. Brushing won't remove tartar, and its rough texture attracts still more plaque, so the build-up snowballs. Brushing and cleaning between your teeth every day are really a single task: getting plaque off before it can damage enamel or inflame the gums.
What Plaque Does If It's Left
| Problem | How it develops |
|---|---|
| Decay | Acid from plaque eats into enamel, first showing as a chalky white mark. Without treatment it becomes a cavity, then toothache, and eventually a tooth that needs root canal treatment or has to come out |
| Gum disease | Plaque along the gum line causes bleeding and swelling. Left to continue, the inflammation breaks down the bone supporting the teeth |
| Bad breath | Sulphur compounds are released by bacteria living on the tongue, in the gaps and inside gum pockets |
| Losing teeth | Advanced gum disease and untreated decay are the leading reasons adults lose teeth |
| Stains | Tea, coffee, red wine and tobacco leave their colour in plaque and tartar |
| Cost | Repairs such as fillings, crowns, root canals and implants cost far more than keeping teeth healthy in the first place |
Time for a Clean?
Book in with Fiona Dyer, our hygienist.
How Your Gums Affect the Rest of You
Gum disease that goes on for years keeps a steady, low level of inflammation running in the body, and studies have connected it with a number of other conditions. The strongest evidence concerns diabetes, and the effect works both ways: raised blood sugar worsens gum disease, while treating the gums can help keep blood sugar in check. Links have also been found with heart and circulation problems.
Pregnancy brings hormone changes that make gums puffy and quick to bleed, which is a reason to take extra care with cleaning. Tell us if you have diabetes, are expecting a baby, or take a medicine that affects your mouth, and Fiona will advise on how often to come in.
A Daily Routine That Protects You
- Clean between your teeth every day. Interdental brushes fit most spaces; use floss where the gap is too narrow for a brush. Of all the steps, this does most for your gums.
- Brush last thing at night and once more during the day, for two minutes each time, with a fluoride toothpaste and the bristles pointed at the gum edge. The night clean is the most important.
- Spit out but don't rinse, so the fluoride stays in contact with your teeth.
- Have sugar only at mealtimes. Each sugary snack or drink sets off a fresh acid attack lasting up to an hour.
- Choose water between meals, rather than sipping juice, squash or fizzy drinks through the day.
- Change your toothbrush or brush head every three months.
- Give up smoking if you smoke. Nothing else you do will help your gums as much.
Our gum care guide explains the technique behind each step.
What a Hygienist Can Do
However well you clean at home, tartar collects in spots a toothbrush can't quite reach, and once it forms, only professional instruments will shift it. At a hygiene visit, Fiona Dyer, our hygienist, measures your gums to catch disease early, scales away tartar both above and beneath the gum, uses Airflow to lift plaque and staining, and then shows you which areas to concentrate on and which interdental brush sizes fit.
A standard appointment lasts 30 minutes, or 60 for a deep clean. If you're travelling in from Carluke, Lesmahagow or Biggar, ask for it to follow on from your dental examination, saving you a second journey. Early gum disease is rarely painful, so regular visits are worthwhile even when your mouth feels fine. They are the simplest way to spot problems while they are still minor and cheap to fix.
Looking After Dental Work
Cosmetic or restorative treatment only lasts if the mouth around it is kept clean. Gum seals less tightly around an implant than around a natural tooth, so infection gets to the bone more easily, which is why conditions are attached to our implant guarantee: a 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months. Wear Invisalign aligners over teeth you haven't brushed and you hold plaque against them for hours. With composite bonding and veneers, staining shows up first where they meet the gum, and polishing at your hygiene visits keeps that margin looking clean. Fiona will tailor your routine to the dental work you have.
The Cost of Prevention
As a private patient, a 30-minute hygiene visit is £70, or £100 including Airflow, and a routine dental examination is £70. 1 Our dental plans bundle these routine appointments into one fee a month.
| Feature | Plan A | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | People whose teeth and gums are in good shape | Anyone with gum disease or implants, or whose tartar builds up quickly |
| Cost per month | £24.10 | £40.16 |
| Hygiene visits with Airflow each year | 2 | 4 |
| Dental examinations each year | 2 | 2 |
| Small X-rays each year | 2 | 2 |
On both plans, emergency appointments come at no extra charge and most private treatment is 10% less. Compared with the cost of one crown or root canal, prevention is much the cheaper option. Everyone in Scotland can have an NHS dental examination free of charge; our NHS or private guide explains how that works at our Lanark practice.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.