Check-ups and cleaning

Signs you might need it

• It has been a while since anyone looked at your teeth, and nothing hurts.
• Your gums bleed a little when you brush, or your breath is not as fresh as it was.
• You can feel a rough edge or a build-up along the gum line that brushing does not shift.
• Food keeps catching in one place.
• You would simply like to know where you stand before anything becomes a problem.

What happens, step by step

1. You tell us what is bothering you

   Or that nothing is. Bring any earlier X-rays or reports, a list of medicines you take, and any dentures or retainers you wear.

2. The doctor examines you

   Teeth, gums, the inside of the cheeks and the tongue, and how your teeth meet. A CBCT scan is taken here in the clinic if one is needed.

3. Cleaning with Guided Biofilm Therapy

   Plaque is made visible with a disclosing dye, then removed with a gentle air-polishing spray; tartar is removed from the teeth and from just under the gum line with an ultrasonic scaler and fine hand instruments. Where the gums are very inflamed this may be done over more than one appointment.

4. What was found, and what next

   The doctor shows you what was seen and explains the options, if anything needs doing at all. Any cost is given to you in writing before anything further is done.

How it feels afterwards

Teeth often feel a little sensitive to cold for a day or two where tartar has been removed, and gums that were inflamed may bleed slightly when you brush for a few days. This usually settles on its own.

Where treatment needs it, the area is numbed with a local anaesthetic before we start, and you can ask us to pause at any point.

What decides the cost

A fee is only worked out once the doctor has examined you. It depends on:

• Whether a scan is needed.
• How much tartar there is, and whether a deeper clean under the gum is needed.
• Whether anything else is found that needs its own plan.
• The cost is told to you in writing before anything is done.