Hygienist / Periodontal therapist

This is a professional who has done two years of study and qualified as being able to deal with gingivitis(Swollen, inflamed, bleeding,sore,gums), periodontitis(loss of bony support of the tooth)

As plaque and tartar are deposited on the teeth, they produce toxins and other chemicals which injure and infect the gums causing them to swell and create pockets between the teeth and gums, then further material gathers in these pockets and the process keeps going till the bone now becomes affected. As the bone begins to dissolve the tooth loses it support and if left untreated the tooth will loosen and will either need to be removed or fall out by itself, or you can get recurring gum infections with associated pain and discomfort.

The hygienist/periodontal therapist will at the first appointment measure the possible pockets around your teeth and gums ,this will give them an idea as to how much damage has occurred. Then they will map the bleeding areas. Then they will request for a pan oral x-ray.

And with all this information available they will begin treatment .The treatment involves them trying to ensure that they clean and treat the pocketing area in such a way as to get the gum to restick back to the tooth surface and reduce the pockets back to within normal limits. This may take a number of appointments and will require a strict regime of oral hygiene and cleaning to minimise the amount of food debris and plaque that can gather and consequently become the hard cement like tartar.

The dentist's work is considerably easier if there is no bleeding gums.