Dental hygiene 

PROFESSIONAL ORAL HYGIENE IN THE ADULT PATIENT

Professional oral hygiene encompasses all the maneuvers implemented by the dental hygienist in order to eliminate pathogenic bacterial deposits both supragingival and subgingival which are not visible and cannot be reached with home hygiene maneuvers alone.

In fact, tartar and bacterial plaque, if not constantly removed, are responsible for an increase in cario- receptivity,  the onset of gum inflammation in particular, that can progress towards the supporting tissues of the teeth, giving rise to a periodontal pathology.

To dispel the idea that professional oral hygiene can ruin the teeth, a correct and regular professional hygiene program is the basis for correct oral and systemic prevention.

TARTAR ABLATION

The ablation of tartar (or de-scaling) is of fundamental importance for maintaining the health of the oral cavity.

It consists of the removal of hard deposits (tartar) above the gums and under the gums (hardly visible to the naked eye, but possible with special tools), formed by bacteria and calcium deposits deriving from saliva and food. Removal takes place through tools that use an ultrasound action to break up and crush the deposits of tartar anchored to the dental elements.

In addition to ultrasonic instrumentation, you can also resort to the use of manual instrumentation, where more precise and thorough cleaning is required, even in the areas under the gums.

It is very important to carry out scheduled professional oral hygiene sessions, approximately every 6 months for healthy patients. The time between one hygiene session and the other can decrease if there are some severe periodontal disease problems.  In these cases professional hygiene sessions can be established at 4, 3, 2 monthly intervals.

LASER THERAPY

The integration of the laser as an aid to professional oral hygiene, for patients suffering from periodontal disease,  has proven to be very effective, thanks to some features.

The main advantages of the laser include:

• Bactericidal effect, with reduction of the bacterial component of the plaque, cooperating in the elimination of the main bacterial strains responsible for periodontitis.
• Slower bacterial re-colonization in laser-treated sites than in those treated with mechanical therapy only.
• Removal of the marginal epithelium and inflammatory tissue without compromising the underlying (connective) tissues
• Bio-stimulation and anti-edematous effect. One of the most interesting effects of the therapeutic potentiality of the laser is certainly the bio-stimulant one, that is the ability to induce faster healing in the irradiated tissues..

Other important features of the laser are its ability to accurately decontaminate difficult-to-access probing sites, such as multi-root elements where scaling and root planingmethods have limitations.

ORAL HYGIENE MANEUVERS IN THE ADULT PATIENT

By oral hygiene we mean the cleaning of the oral cavity, that is, all those maneuvers used to remove the pathogenic bacteria responsible for  problems of the oral cavity.

Oral hygiene must be carried out in two ways:

• DAILY through home oral hygiene

PERIODICALLY (SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS)with a professional oral hygienist.

HOME HYGIENE

Home oral hygiene is a set of maneuvers that are carried out daily to ensure a level of hygiene compatible with the well-being and health of the oral cavity.

The result of proper home hygiene is a healthy and pleasant mouth with the absence of food storage, gum swelling, bleeding and bad breath.

In fact, each of these symptoms indicates a problem and the dental hygienist, through a personalized visit, will advise the right home hygiene maneuvers to use.  Therefore, in  the absence of a correct brushing technique, a specific toothbrush, dental floss and other necessary aids, a lasting oral health condition will not be guaranteed