Hygienists are registered dental care professionals.
Their main role is promoting good oral health through prevention and education.
Hygienists are trained by undertaking an intensive 27 month full time course, offered by a dental school/hospital or the armed forces dental schools. There are some minimum requirements needed to be able to apply for these courses and these include 5 GCSE’s A-C, plus 2 A levels or a recognised dental nursing qualification.
Once qualified, hygienists can work in various settings – for example, NHS or private practice, periodontal or orthodontic practice, hospitals, community service, education and research.
In general dental practice hygienists will educate patients in the necessity of good oral hygiene and give diet advice. They will treat and help prevent gum disease by scaling and polishing the teeth and carefully monitoring the patient. Hygienists can also apply topical fluoride and sealants to help prevent decay in children’s teeth.
The role of the hygienist has greatly expanded over the last 15 years and their duties now enable them to administer local anaesthetic, take radiographs, place temporary fillings and cosmetically whiten teeth.
If you would like to book a hygienist appointment you can now do this on our website using our online booking system!
