Most patients think Dirty Mouth + Stained teeth = Scale and Polish.  This is Stone Age Dental Care. Practices which have kept up with the advances in dental Care know that the key to success is Education and Motivation.

Patients have to want nice clean health fresh mouths. And they need to know how to achieve and maintain it.

The overwhelming majority of our regular patients come to us as part of their effort to maintain their healthy mouths.

Over the last ten years there has been a growing body of evidence linking periodontal disease and systemic diseases. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) states "Gum disease is a threat to your oral health. Research is also pointing to possible health effects of periodontal diseases that go well beyond your mouth."

Most of our new patients come to us with active gum disease, complaining of Bleeding Gums and Bad Taste. Most have never been shown how to look after their mouths.

 We provide Oral Hygienist instruction in a specially designed room. This is done for free and as and when the need arises. We never think that this is a once and for all thing and patients are regularly helped to improve their home dental care.

Just A Polish

This seems to causes so much confusion for patients in trying to understand the difference between "just a cleaning" and Scaling and Root Planing and the need and reason for this procedure. 

Scaling and Root Planing  is done to remove tartar and hard crusty calculus, that is loaded with bacteria, around and BELOW the gum line. A professional polishing or prophy removes only the soft sticky plaque that is above the gum line. It is a method of treating gum disease when pockets are formed around the teeth are greater than 3mm. Because it is not a cosmetic procedure it does not remove all stain, especially where the stain is due to smoking, red wine or food dyes. if you want to remove all stains then please ave a look at Jet Washes.

Hard crusty calculus

Simple Scale and Polish

Scaling is a procedure that  meticulously removes contamination  toxins, micro-organisms, plaque, tartar, cementum, dentin that is rough and/or permeated by calculus from around, below and under thegum line down to the bottom of the pocket. This is done to remove bio film, calculus, and toxin down to the bottom of each periodontal pocket in order to obtain a healing response.

A Scaling€ is the removal of plaque, calculus (also known as tartar), and stains from the tooth structures. It is accomplished using dental instruments that scrape away deposits from the teeth. This deposit removal is performed on tooth structures that have not been affected by bone loss, typically the crowns of the teeth. A cleaning€ is recommended for persons who do not have bone loss, periodontal disease, or infection around the teeth. There should also be no bleeding, mobility of teeth, receded areas where the gums have pulled away from the teeth, or gaps where spaces around the roots are exposed. In other words, the mouth should be healthy, with no gum and bone problems.

Because it is not a cosmetic procedure it does not remove all stain, especially where the stain is due to smoking, red wine or food dyes.

Deep Root Planing

      Root planing involves smoothing the root surfaces of your teeth with thin curettes so gum tissue can more firmly reattach to roots that are clean and smooth to prevent tooth loss and sensitivity problems. The procedure makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces.

    Because this procedure goes deeper than a Simple Scale and Polish, your mouth may be numbed. The cleaning may take two visits to complete.  Depending on the extent of the disease you may need one or more sections (quadrants) of the mouth to be treated with scaling and root planing.  Treatment may require more than one visit.

     Treatment is carried out with our ultrasonic hand pieces as well as other instruments that both scales and medicates your gum tissue.

Treatment controls the growth of harmful bacteria. (Bacteria ABOVE the gum line is less aggressive bacteria whereas the bacteria BELOW the gum are MORE DESTRUCTIVE AND DANGEROUS!

Deep Root Planing Helps gums or pocket wall  reattach firmly to the the spotlessly clean root surface to help prevent tooth loss.

Deep Root Planing Prevent further bleeding of the gums.

Deep Root Planing reduces gum swelling

Deep Root Planing reduces discomfort.

Deep Root Planing decreases tooth sensitivity due to gum recession.

Deep Root Planing prevents bone loss.

Deep Root Planing prevent tooth loss due to gum disease

Root planing is therapeutic (which means designed to heal) and time-consuming treatments to remove toxins (poisons) and bacteria from the root surfaces of the teeth. Periodontal (gum and bone) disease can be treated with root planing. Removing toxins allows the body's immune system to begin the healing process. Calculus (sometimes called tartar, diseased cementum, and/or dentin) are also scaled away. (Cementum is the hard tissue that covers the tooth root. Dentin is that part of the tooth that is underneath the cementum.) These procedures are used as complete treatment in some stages of periodontal disease, and as part of preparing the mouth for surgery in others. Several appointments, treating sections of the mouth, and local anaesthesia may be required.

Sodium Bicarbonate Jet Washes

Your teeth will be cleaned gently with a specially developed device. A spray of air, sodium bicarbonate and a water jet meet to quickly and painlessly remove bacteria, plaque and soft deposits from interproximal spaces and smooth surfaces of the teeth.

The Jet wash Method removes stains but will not whiten your teeth in the same way as Tooth Bleaching.

Ingredients are dispensed at a comfortable temperature and have a nice taste.

The Jet wash method is much faster, more thorough than toothpastes and non-abrasive as we clean the teeth without any contact with their surface.

Sodium crystals at a high speed meet the surface to remove plaque.

A water jet washes off all cleaned deposits and corrects the temperature of the teeth. So it is possible to remove all the plaque you would have to clean at home for several weeks.

"Antibiotic Gel" Treatments

Existing gum disease can be treated if it is not too advanced. Where pockets have formed the roots of teeth can be cleaned and smoothed to allow the gum to reattach and the swelling to subside. This is called scaling and root planing. In deeper pockets it may be useful to reduce the bacteria using antibiotics. In advanced disease, surgery to reshape the gum and bone can help to stabilise teeth and prevent them falling out. Surgery can also make it easier to remove plaque and tartar from these sites.

What is Dentomycin?

Dentomycin was launched in 1993 and has been successfully used in more than 1.3 million patients world wide. It is a gel that contains an antibiotic (minocycline) which is active against the bacteria that cause periodontitis.

Why is Dentomycin a gel?

This allows the antibiotic to be applied directly into the pockets where bacteria are growing. This means effective concentrations at the disease site and low concentrations in the bloodstream to reduce the risk of side effects.

When is Dentomycin treatment recommended?

Dentomycin is used when gum tissue has detached from the teeth to form obvious pockets. These sites are more likely to get worse than shallower sites. Your dentist or hygienist can check for pockets using a special probe, which is placed between the gum and tooth.

What does Dentomycin treatment involve?

Dentomycin is usually applied after scaling and root planing. Your dentist or hygienist will applyDentomycin to all affected sites, every two weeks for a total of three to four visits. You shouldn't brush, floss, eat or drink for at least two hours after Dentomycin treatment.

What effect does Dentomycin treatment have?

Clinical studies have shown that Dentomycin treatment reduces the bacteria that cause periodontitis and reduces the depth of treated pockets. These changes indicate an improvement in gum health.

Are there any side effects?

Because it is applied direct to the site, and not swallowed, Dentomycin is a good way to treat gum disease. Fewer side effects have been reported than taking antibiotic tablets. Irritation and gum swelling can occur. If you experience these after Dentomycin treatment inform your dentist or hygienist before your next appointment. In very rare cases, patients have reported Limited diarrhoea or an upset stomach. Very rarely, some patients develop an allergic reaction to antibiotics. If you develop a severe headache, rash or itching, shortness of breath or swelling of the tongue following Dentomycin or other antibiotic treatment, contact your doctor or dentist immediately.

Is Dentomycin suitable for all patients?

Provided the gum disease is sufficiently advanced, there are few patients who would not be suitable for Dentomycin treatment. Dentomycin should not be used in:

· patients who are allergic to tetracycline antibiotics

· patients with complete kidney failure

· children under 12 years.

In addition, since Dentomycin has not been tested on certain patient groups it is unlikely that your dentist would want to treat:

· pregnant or breastfeeding women

· patients taking anticoagulants

(eg. Warfarin)

· children over 12 years.

However, there may be occasions when Dentomycin is considered the most appropriate treatment. You should discuss this fully with your dentist prior to starting treatment. It is important that you tell your dentist if you are pregnant, trying for a baby, or if you are breastfeeding. If you have any additional questions about gum disease and it's treatment you should ask your dentist or hygienist.  

Appointment Times and Charges

Our Dental Fees offer Outstanding Value For Money and 3 Monthly visits for a simple scale and polish are �20.00 on weekdays and �22.00 on Saturdays.

Appointments are sometimes very hard to get especially early Morning, late evening and Saturdays. We work a 3 month cycle for most patients and the cost of an hygienist visit for the overwhelming majority of our regulars is �20.00.