Teeth cleaning

Your Hygiene Therapist Visit

Edinburgh’s Stockbridge Dental Practice provides a teeth cleaning service as part of your hygiene therapy visit. Our dental therapists are specially trained in the prevention and treatment of periodontal (gum) disease which is caused by a build up of harmful bacteria in the plaque. Periodontal disease is one of the main causes of tooth loss in adults in the UK.

At your appointment, your dental therapist will tailor your dental care to your mouth and spend time discussing ways to help improve your oral hygiene, which can prevent the need for gum treatment, fillings, and other costly procedures.  

For your hygiene appointment, your dental therapist can also utilise Airflow and Perioflow, a cleaning system involving powder, water and air, which will be more comfortable than the traditional scale and polish and will lift stains to leave you with a brighter smile! 

We offer dental hygiene plans to help spread the cost of your hygiene appointments and ensure that taking care of yourself is something you can make a priority!

You don’t have to be registered as a patient here to see our dental therapists. Patients have the option to see a hygienist or therapist for treatment without seeing a dentist first. You’ll see a list of our top FAQ’s if you would like to know a little more about the procedure and how we can still help you if your not registered with us.

If you would like to book an appointment with one of our lovely dental therapists, give us a call on 0131 332 5510

Our top FAQ’s about Teeth Cleaning

  • Here at Stockbridge Dental Practice, our hygiene-therapists use AIRFLOW® PROPHYLAXIS MASTER which is a combination of antibacterial powder, heated water and air which provides a thorough yet comfortable clean! The AirFlow machine is able to remove biofilm, plaque, early calculus and stains effectively and comfortably, minimising the need for more traditional hand and sonic instrumentation which is notoriously uncomfortable for patients. Tougher calculus (tartar) build up may need to be removed by our PIEZON® NO PAIN instrument in selective areas as required.

    Our hygiene-therapists want you to be as comfortable as possible throughout your hygiene visit, they will take many precautions to ensure your comfort and safety is paramount during your visit:

    - Heated water for maximum comfort (great for any areas of sensitivity).

    - Modern equipment and the latest technology that prioritises patient comfort.

    - You’re in control – our hygiene-therapists will offer you regular breaks as required throughout your treatment!

    - Our hygiene-therapists are also qualified to deliver local anaesthesia should you require some additional efforts to maximise your comfort.

  • We use heated water technology to ensure maximum comfort throughout your hygiene visits.

    However, if your teeth are particularly sensitive, we recommend using a sensitivity toothpaste

    (Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief TM and Sensodyne Pronamel Daily Protection are some great options we’d recommend). Sensitivity toothpastes can be used daily to build up long-lasting results which can be particularly useful in the lead up to your hygiene visit!

  • It is a common misconception that bleeding and tender gums is due to an operator fault during your hygiene visit. However, the bleeding is most commonly caused by your body’s inflammatory response to the bacteria present in plaque. If this plaque is missed consistently from along the gumline (due to inadequate oral hygiene habits at home) the gums can become red and inflamed.

    When this plaque is disrupted during your hygiene visit, this results in some bleeding from the gums

    – don’t panic, your hygiene-therapist will guide you in the right direction for what to do at home to help this subside and prevent this happening in future!

  • We recommend waiting 30 minutes after your AirFlow treatment before eating or drinking anything.

    It is also recommended to refrain from consuming any foods/drinks that would stain a white shirt for around 24 hours after your clean to prevent staining!

    Ideas of what to avoid for 24 hours post-AirFlow:

    - Coffee

    - Tea

    - Dark chocolate

    - Turmeric

    - Red wine

    - Smoking

  • Gum health is personal – our team of dentists and therapists are able to advise you whether an annual, 6/4/3 monthly recall is right for you! Everyone is different dependent on their susceptibility to gum disease and how well they are managing to clean their teeth at home!

    Sometimes, if you have more advanced stages of gum disease, additional periodontal therapy visits may be advised. If you are on one of our dental plans, we may need to organise some additional appointments to get you back on the right track with your gum health!

  • AIRFLOW® PROPHYLAXIS MASTER uses very fine antibacterial powder, heated water and high pressure air to be able to remove the biofilm, plaque, early calculus and stains from the teeth in a comfortable and safe way!

    Traditional methods like ultrasonic scaling and hand instruments are still occasionally used but thanks to advancements in technology like AirFlow, the need to use these notoriously uncomfortable instruments is far less now. We have also invested in the PIEZON® NO PAIN instrument to make ultrasonic scaling as comfortable as possible for patients!Item description

  • As of 2013 the GDC allowed dental hygiene-therapists to carry out their full scope of practice without having to work under prescription from a dentist. Before then, patients would have to see the dentist before being treated by a hygiene-therapist but since the change, this has eliminated the need for this.

    So what this means for anyone wishing to visit Stockbridge Dental Practice is, should you not wish to register at the practice or commit to one of our dental plans, you are more than welcome to come see one of our hygiene-therapists for a thorough clean as well as for other treatments such as x-rays and fillings.

  • According to the General Dental Council, “Dental hygienists and dental therapists can carry out their full scope of practice without prescription and without the patient having to see a dentist first. The only exception to this is tooth whitening, which must still be carried out on prescription from a dentist.”

    You can find a list of treatments that are within a dental hygiene-therapist’s scope of practice here:

    https://www.gdc-uk.org/docs/default-source/scope-of-practice/scope-of-practice.pdf

    Some common procedures include:

    - Hygiene visit

    - Fillings

    - X-rays

    - Extraction of baby teeth

  • No. You are more than welcome to visit the practice to see one of our hygiene-therapists for a clean under direct access, without the need to register.

    You will be given a consent form to fill out prior to your appointment and then you’re good to go!