Dental hygiene

Dental hygiene, also known as dental prophylaxis or tartrectomy is the deep cleaning of the teeth and gums. A correct oral hygiene is a synonym of oral health. In Clínica Dental Padros-Creus Muntaner we give special importance to the evaluation of the status of the teeth and gingival tissues. It is very important that the hygienist, before starting the cleaning procedure, performs a global probing of the whole mouth to detect if the patient has a periodontal disease (“pyorrhoea”), which may require a more specific treatment. After that the hygienist places plaque detector, which will stain the biofilm or bacterial plaque which causes gingival diseases. The objective is to show the patient where he or she cannot reach with the toothbrush, and train “In situ” his or her brushing technique. The hygienist individualizes the process personally, and recommends the system and the most adequate accessory elements to use, as the intrasulcular brushes, interproximal brushes, electric toothbrushes, lingual brushes, oral irrigators, dental floss… To properly clean the teeth, we use ultrasonic devices which are placed in the union between the gums and the teeth, with the objective of disintegrating the tartar that is present on this union. In Clínica Dental Padrós-Creus Muntaner we use narrow ultrasound points which permit the access to the most difficult places between teeth and under the gingiva. The vibration of this points can be graded. When there is tartar under the gingiva that is difficult to access, the hygienist may use manual curettes and magnifying lenses. The stains that appear on the teeth due to some foods and habits, like smoking, are eliminated with air polishers. Posteriorly a prophylaxis paste is used with an electrical brush that rotates at high speeds to finish the polishing of the dental surfaces. The ideal moment for the application of fluoride as a method to prevent caries, is indeed at the end of the hygiene procedure. Fluoride application through ionophoresis permits the substitution of the hydroxyapatite present on the teeth by fluorapatite, which is more resistant to the acid attack of the bacteria. For this reason, it is usually recommended to finish a hygiene with the topical application of fluoride and even subgingival chlorhexidine to disinfect the gingival tissues. Normally, oral hygiene is not painful; nevertheless, some patients have increased dental sensitivity, and for this reason they avoid oral hygienes, afraid of the pain they experience. In Clínica Dental Padros-Creus Muntaner, we avoid pain if the patient or hygienist asks for it, through the application of specifical topic anaesthetic products before the procedure (Oraquix). Sometimes it may even be required by the hygienist that the doctor applies local anaesthesia locally. We consider that, due to the importance of oral hygiene as the base of a good oral health, the patient should leave the office with a good sensation, and this way they will come regularly without any problems to their hygiene treatments. The oral health situation of the patient determines the periodicity with which they should undergo this treatment. Normally, a yearly hygiene is recommended, although, if the brushing level is not appropriated, we recommend that the patient comes to the office every six months. Among the installations of Clínica dental Padrós-Creus Muntaner, we have a specific area where we teach brushing techniques to children and adults. The consequence of the lack of oral hygiene, or when it is deficient, is the appearing of inflammation on the gums (gingivitis), or even if it progresses, a periodontitis is stablished, with curses with loss of the bone that supports the teeth. We always recommend that the patients leave the office with his “recall” stablished, so we can control when the next hygiene should be realized.