Your active maintenance appointment will soon look and feel a little different.
Medland Dental is excited to introduce professional tooth cleaning using Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) to our patients. Utilising the latest technology, GBT will allow us to complete professional cleaning that is more comfortable than ever before.
Professional tooth cleaning is a necessary component of maintaining a beautiful and healthy smile. It removes harmful plaque (also called biofilm) on teeth and gums. The bacteria in oral biofilm damage the teeth and the supporting structures such as the gum and bone that hold the teeth in place. Over time, oral biofilm calcifies (hardens) to form ugly deposits of tartar.
The bacteria in oral biofilm can also find their way deeper into the body and may have an affect on our general health over time. There is growing evidence which continues to demonstrate a link between oral biofilm and general health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, pre-term low weight births, respiratory disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s to name a few. The list of general health conditions likely affected by oral biofilm continues to grow each year.
Professional tooth cleaning using our new EMS Airflow Prophylaxis Master units will enable your Medland Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist to:
– Remove more biofilm more comfortably using a ‘spa like’ powder and warm water wash
– Reduce the amount of ultrasonic and hand scaling required
– Required ultrasonic scaling is completed using warm water to reduce sensitivity
– No noisy rubber cup polishing or gritty polishing paste is needed.
So what is Guided Biofilm Therapy?
1. Assessment
Your appointment will start in much the same way. Your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist will thoroughly assess your soft tissues (lips, cheeks, tongue etc.), gum tissues and teeth. A small plastic shield will be placed around your mouth to protect your lips and cheeks.
2. Dislcose
Oral biofilm is invisible to the naked eye. Disclosing solution will be applied to your teeth with a small cotton pellet. The solution contains dye which temporarily stains the teeth and soft tissues red for ‘new’ biofilm and blue for ‘mature’ biofilm (biofilm which has been present on the teeth for a longer period of time).
Making biofilm visible ensures complete removal by your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist. It helps to identify biofilm in difficult to reach areas and guides your clinician, enabling faster removal. Making biofilm visible provides a great opportunity for you as a patient to find out how well you are caring for your teeth at home. Records of where biofilm is located are recorded for future comparison.
3. Motivate
Our oral hygiene needs can look different at different stages of our life. Making biofilm visible provides a unique opportunity for your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist to work with you to refine your home care routine to enable thorough biofilm removal on a day to day basis.
Prevention is key! Your clinician will highlight focus areas and make recommendations to assist you in achieving effective biofilm removal at home. Additional products may be recommended to complement biofilm removal and maintain optimal health.
4. Airflow
Next removal of biofilm, stain, disclosing solution and soft, newly developed tartar (calculus) is completed using warm water and ultra fine powder. Natural teeth, restorations, dental implants and soft tissues (gums, tongue and palate) are all cleaned with this gentle warm water spray.
5. Perioflow
For patients with gum disease, areas of deep gum ‘pocketing’ are also cleaned using this gentle warm water spray. A specialised nozzle ensures effective biofilm removal in these difficult to access areas.
6. Ultrasonic Scaling
Hard tartar (calculus) is removed using an ultrasonic scaler. Warm water and a special super fine cleaning tip are used to reduce sensitivity. Removing biofilm prior to ultrasonic scaling makes tartar deposits easier to see and reduces the amount of ultrasonic scaling that is required.
7. Check
Your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist will complete a final check for biofilm and tartar (calculus) deposits. Minor scaling using hand instruments may be required at this stage to complete biofilm and tartar (calculus) removal. The protective plastic shield is removed and you will be able to rinse your mouth.
Polishing using a rubber cup and gritty polishing paste is not required. Following your examination, your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist will apply fluoride to seal and protect your clean tooth surfaces.
8. Active Maintenance
Your Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist will discuss a plan for your ongoing care or ‘active maintenance’. By asking questions and making observations during your appointment, they will have completed an oral health ‘risk assessment’. This will enable a recommendation to be made on the frequency that these appointments should occur. As always, we will discuss this with you and support you in your treatment decisions.
We hope that you will be as excited about GBT as we are! Providing technically excellent treatment and exceptional care will always be at the heart of what we do. We welcome any questions or feedback that you may have about your appointment!
