{"id":643,"date":"2019-05-07T07:13:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T06:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/?p=643"},"modified":"2019-05-07T07:13:26","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T06:13:26","slug":"direct-access-and-why-you-should-see-a-dental-hygienist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/direct-access-and-why-you-should-see-a-dental-hygienist\/","title":{"rendered":"Direct Access and why you should see a dental hygienist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sometimes having to wait until your next\ncheck-up before you can see the hygienist is having to\nwait too long. Perhaps you have an important occasion coming up, or you have\nstarted dating, or you have restorations in your mouth that feel like they are\nbuilding up a thick layer of plaque. At times like this, it\u2019s nice to be able\nto see the hygienist for a scale and polish, even if you aren\u2019t due an\nappointment for quite a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"325\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dental-hygienist.jpg\" alt=\"Dental Hygienist in Stevenage\" class=\"wp-image-644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dental-hygienist.jpg 325w, https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dental-hygienist-50x33.jpg 50w, https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dental-hygienist-200x134.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that since 2013, it\u2019s possible\nto see the hygienist without having to see the dentist first? The General\nDental Council changed the rules for hygienists, having decided that patient\nsafety would not be put at risk if they got their teeth cleaned without first\nhaving a check-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes sense to allow people direct\naccess to the hygienist because having plaque professionally removed can only\nimprove your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plaque, that layer of sticky bacteria that\nbuilds up on your teeth between brushings, is responsible for tooth decay and gum\ndisease. It gives off acids that corrode tooth enamel, creating the holes\nthrough which decay and infection can enter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acids from plaque also attack the gums,\ninflaming and irritating them, causing them to become red and to bleed. As gum\ndisease advances, the gums pull away from the teeth and then plaque can get\nunderneath them and start corroding tooth roots, which have no enamel to\nprotect them, and also the bone around the teeth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Left untreated, both decay and gum disease\nlead to tooth loss, often via painful infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Help with removing plaque and tartar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you carry out your diligent\ntwice-daily brushing and daily flossing to remove plaque and tartar, there are\nbound to be some nooks and crannies that you can\u2019t get at. Plaque in those\nplaces hardens into tartar, a chalky substance that won\u2019t respond to brushing,\nbut still gives off acids, right onto your teeth and gums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only way to get rid of this is to see\nthe dental hygienist here at <strong>Smilecraft\nin Stevenage<\/strong>. So, come on in whenever you feel the need for a scale and\npolish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes having to wait until your next check-up before you can see the hygienist is having to wait too long. Perhaps you have an important occasion coming up, or you have started dating, or you have restorations in your mouth that feel like they are building up a thick layer of plaque. At times like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":645,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions\/645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilecraft.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}