Scale and Polish ( Teeth cleaning )
The Dental Hygienist/ Oral Health Therapist plays an important role in your dental care team.
Having regular professional cleans with a Hygienist aims to maintain healthy overall dental and oral hygiene. It is the best means in the prevention of gingivitis, periodontitis (gum disease) and other oral health anomalies such as dental cavities, bad breath and enamel staining.
A healthy mouth may help you prevent other medical disorders, has less or no plaque/tartar deposits, fewer dental cavities and pink and firm gums. This is what we aim for when a patient maintains consistent hygiene care.
If you’re doing everything possible at home to help prevent oral diseases you may wonder why a professional clean is necessary?! Here are some reasons why…
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Recognising and managing the inevitability of plaque and tartar build-up
Overtime, no matter how hard you may be trying to clean at home, there will almost certainly be a plaque/tartar build-up layer that accumulates, this is caused by the natural minerals and bacteria that are in your saliva and plaque. A consist homecare routine will help unanimously to keep most oral health issues away however, once plaque has calcified into tartar it cannot be safely removed without the help of a dental professional. If these unwanted deposits are left for periods of time they start to disturb and be detrimental to the health of your teeth and gums. Your hygienist will get the job done with a well-trained eye, as they are able to see all the hard-to-reach corners that may be hidden to you.
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Giving you a confidence boost!
The immediate affects of having your teeth cleaned with a Hygienist may presently surprise you by removing discolourations and imperfections from daily eating and drinking that you may have thought were permanent! You may nott realise the potential your natural teeth really have. After a clean your teeth will feel perhaps whiter, brighter and with fresher breath as nasty bacteria is removed.
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Helping to prevent gum disease
Statistically, most adults will experience some form of gum disease throughout their life. Whether this is the earliest stage, Gingivitis, which involves swelling and irritation of the gums, bleeding on brushing or flossing due to the accumulation of plaque or forgein substances.
Gingivitis has the ability to progress to a more severe gum disease, Periodontitis. This is a far more serious version of gum disease that begins to erode the supporting tissues of the teeth such as the supporting ligaments and bone. By preventing and treating gum disease we aim to minimise tooth mobility and tooth loss.
Our Oral Health Therapists/ Hygienists offer a range of services at our clinics including;
Teeth Whitening - In clinic or take home options
Retainer/Mouthguard/Bite splint fabricating
Gum Disease Treatment
Scale and Polish
Govt funded basic dentistry for U18’s
Orthodontic Auxiliaries
Frequently Asked Questions
Also known as periodontal disease, gum disease is an infection of your soft gum tissues. As the disease worsens, bacteria forms pockets between your teeth and gums. As the bacteria multiplies, it will spread and work to destroy your gums and bone, causing your teeth to become loose and eventually fall out. Gum disease is very common, it affects over 60% of adults to varying degrees, and is the leading cause of tooth loss. What surprises our patients is learning about the link between gum disease and other health problems. Medicine has noted the parallel between gum disease and heart attack, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, low-weight births, and more, our mouths are a link directly into our bodies and infection affects other areas. We know that the best way to avoid and maintain gum disease is to attend regular cleanings and checkups, as well as daily brushing and flossing at home.
Meet Our Doctors:
Dr. Kellie Houlahan BDS (Otago)
Dentist & Owner of FLOSS
Dr. Kellie Houlahan is the co-owner of Floss Dental in Birkenhead, which she runs ...
Dr. Harvey Shorter BDS (Otago)
Dentist
A North Shore local, Harvey has over 30 years dental experience, including eight years practicing in the UK. With advanced ...
Dr. Katherine Fowler BDS (Otago)
Dentist
Following graduating from the University of Otago, Katherine returned to her home-city of Auckland.
Michelle Fleet BHSc (OH)
Oral Health Therapist + Hygienist
Hello, I’m Michelle!
I am a graduate from the Auckland University of Technology in Oral Health. My skills involve dental hygiene, therapy and orthodontic auxiliary work, with a special interest in ...
Dr Daniel Hauptfleisch BDS (otago)
Dentist & Owner of FLOSS
Hi guys.
I never know if anyone actually reads these bio's but if you do, hopefully you find this helpful.
A brief work history for me, after i graduated from Otago university ...