Hygiene and Prevention

Caries hygiene and prevention are treatments such as scaling, sandblasting, contact fluoridation and fissure sealing.

Every hygiene visit should start with staining of dental deposits.

Bad breath, also called halitosis, occurs from an underlying dental issue. The odour results from the plaque or bacteria formed around the teeth or under the gumline. The dental hygienist can offer treatment if your bad breath results from plaque or bacteria under your gum line.

Scaling is a procedure to remove hard deposits performed with ultrasound and in some cases manually. We perform it a minimum of 2 times a year. It is a completely painless procedure, especially important for orthodontic, implant and periodontal disease patients.

Sandblasting/ air polishing is the removal of deposits from the enamel surface using a fine powder dispensed under pressure. The frequency of the treatment depends on lifestyle and dietary and hygiene habits.

GBT and related methods are based on the use of “soft” polysugar sand and the use of lower-pressure sandblasters, which also allows for the gentle removal of bacterial plaque from inside the gingival pockets and from the mucosal surface.

Equally important as the hygienization procedures themselves is education – our hygienist will teach you how to use floss and a toothbrush correctly and without harming your teeth and gums.

Sealing or fissure sealing with fissure sealant is performed on molars in children. This is one of the routine procedures in caries prevention.

After scaling and sandblasting procedures, we use fluoride and/or calcium preparations to better remineralize and strengthen the enamel.

Fluoride prophylaxis (enamel varnishing with fluoride varnish) is also the primary form of caries prevention in the youngest patients.

Besides scaling and polishing, your dental hygienist can detect early signs of oral cancer. Oral cancer is treatable when detected early. The hygienist will provide valuable advice on the risks of oral cancer and how to reduce them.