Direct access to the hygienist

Due to recent changes by the General Dental Council patients can now access the services of a dental hygienist without needing to be referred by a dentist. In the past, every member of the dental team had to work on the prescription of a dentist. This meant that patients had to be seen by a dentist before being treated by any other member of the dental team.

Now, you can choose to see the hygienist without registering with or seeing a dentist first.

Our dental hygienists are able to:

• remove plaque and tartar build up

• remove superficial staining (often caused by smoking, tea, coffee, and red wine)

• give oral hygiene advice including instruction on how to keep your mouth clean and healthy

• assess the condition of gums and presence of gum disease

• treat gum disease in the majority of cases. If our hygienist sees an area which requires treatment that they cannot provide, then you will be referred to one of the dentists within the practice.
• If you are interested in seeing one of our hygienists please speak to the reception team.
• It is still very important that your teeth are checked by a dentist regularly as hygienists can only treat a small area of your overall oral health.

If our hygienist sees an area which requires treatment that they cannot provide, then you can be referred to one of the dentists within the practice.

If you are interested in seeing one of our hygienists please speak to one of our Practice Advisors.