Show your smile you care
With the past year being what it was, it’s no wonder many people are finding it challenging to smile – especially since many haven’t had the opportunity to benefit from the expertise of a dentist in Richmond as regularly as they would have liked.
It is perfectly understandable if, like many out there, you feel that the national lockdown measures and travel restrictions of the past year have taken a toll on your oral health.
Having teeth that are discoloured, yellowed or stained can result in a loss to your self-esteem and confidence – which, in turn, can cause you to smile less – creating a negative cycle.
Now, however, is the time to break this cycle – as more and more dental practices across the country are returning to a pre-pandemic service in which treatments are readily available for anyone who needs them.
Making a visible change to the aesthetic of your smile can leave you feeling satisfied and renewed, as well as having a boosting effect on your outward appearance – making you more approachable and attractive.
What can a dentist do for me?
Since the easing of restrictions and resuming pre-pandemic dental services, one of the most widely sought-out areas of dentistry has been dental hygienists.
A dental hygienist’s role is centred entirely around ensuring every patient’s oral health is in tip-top shape, and that any signs of gum problems (such as gingivitis or periodontal disease) are identified and rectified as quickly as possible.
One of the most popular treatments provided by a dental hygienist over the past few months has been a ‘scale and polish’, a dual-stage deep-cleaning procedure that aims to rid a patient’s teeth of all buildups of plaque, tartar, and bacteria and leave them visibley brighter and healthier.
What happens in a scale and polish treatment?
The first stage in a scale and polish procedure is a preliminary examination throughout the interior of the patient’s mouth. This is done to check their gum and tooth health and determine if any restorative treatments are necessary before the scaling and polishing.
These examinations also let the hygienist – an expert in all things gum and tooth – lookout for crucial indicators of gum diseases developing. If they notice that a patient is suffering from gum disease, they will arrange an appointment in the recent future to rectify this as soon as possible.
Following the examination, the scaling and polishing can then begin.
This starts with what is lovingly referred to as ‘the scrape’ – which is where the dentist uses specialist hand-held equipment and an ultrasound scraper to remove all superficial plaque, stains, marks, tartar, and bacteria from throughout the patient’s mouth.
Once this stage is complete, the hygienist (after letting the patient rinse out their mouth) will begin the second part of the polish process.
This involves using a polishing tool to shine and buffer every individual tooth – removing any residual plaque and bacteria – and leaving the patient with a visibly cleaner and whiter-looking smile and fully restored dental health.