Paula Reed NEBDN
National Certificate NEBDN
GDC: 125402
GDC: 125402
Senior Dental Therapist & Ortho DHT
read moreDental Hygienist appointments at Smileworks
Clean teeth. Fresh breath. Someone who really cares about you.
Not sure what to book? Tell us what’s bothering you and we’ll help you choose the right appointment.
Scale and polish in liverpool
At Smileworks we want you to be healthy and care deeply about your wellbeing. For you to enjoy a lifetime of strong teeth, perfect gums and fresh breath, brushing and flossing is not enough.
Professional cleaning removes plaque and hard deposits that brushing alone cannot shift. Find out more about gum disease and Airflow dental treatment at Smileworks Liverpool.
Sensitive teeth, bleeding gums or a long gap since your last appointment? You’re welcome here. We’ll listen, assess your gum health and discuss what you need.
Extraordinary patient reviews
Friendly people. Thoughtful care. Hear from patients about their experience at Smileworks.
Benefits of healthy teeth and gums
A professional hygiene appointment helps you care for your teeth and gums by:
- Removing plaque and tartar to support healthier gums
- Reducing surface staining and helping your teeth feel clean
- Helping manage bleeding gums and bad breath
- Spotting concerns and helping you protect your teeth at home
If you’re planning braces, implants or cosmetic treatment, we’ll check that your teeth and gums are ready. Where you need hygiene treatment or fillings first, our therapists work with your dentist to get those problems under control before you move on.
Many of our patients join one of our Smileworks Memberships to better care for their new smiles and keep everything working beautifully for longer.
Scale and polish price
*Most of our patients pay for their treatment monthly on one of our dental memberships*
- Scale and polish | £109.25-£218.50
- Scale and polish (member) | £75
- Check-up (existing patient) | £88.55
- Check-up (new patient) | £90
- Check-up (member) | £54
- Smileworks membership | £23.60
- Enhanced membership | £36.46
- Whitening Club | £28.54
- Brace Club | £37.62
- Essential Health | £49.50
Compare our monthly dental plans and the hygiene appointments included in each.
Your dental hygienist appointment
Dental hygienists focus on preventing gum disease and helping you keep your mouth healthy. Dental therapists can provide hygiene care and additional treatment such as tooth fillings and composite bonding, within their training and scope. They work with your dentist when you need more complex care.
HYGIENE APPOINTMENT STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE
Consultation
We’ll ask what’s bothering you, including bleeding gums, sensitivity, staining and bad breath. We’ll discuss your medical history, previous visits and anything that makes you nervous. You can also tell us about tooth wear, dentures that don’t fit, broken fillings or concerns about crowns and orthodontic treatment.
Diagnostics
We assess your gum health, discuss our findings and agree appropriate treatment with you. Gum charting helps us track changes over time. X-rays, when needed, and gum charting are included in your hygiene fee.
Scale and Polish
Scaling removes soft plaque and hard tartar, also called calculus, from your teeth and around the gum line. An ultrasonic scaler uses a vibrating tip and water to loosen deposits. Hand instruments can help remove deposits where needed.
Polishing uses a small rotating cup or brush with polishing paste to remove surface stains. Airflow uses air, water and a fine powder to remove biofilm and surface stains. It does a different job from scaling hard deposits. Removing stains can bring back your teeth’s natural colour, while teeth whitening changes the shade of your teeth.
If your teeth are sensitive, tell us. We can adapt treatment and discuss ways to make you more comfortable.
Home care
We’ll help you choose interdental brushes that fit the spaces between your teeth and show you how to use them. If sore gums make cleaning difficult, we’ll adapt the advice so you have a practical routine you can manage at home.
Additional hygienist treatments
Depending on your needs, our hygienists and therapists can discuss additional care or arrange treatment with your dentist.
- TEETH WHITENING: Our hygiene therapists can provide whitening as part of a dentist’s treatment plan.
- FLUORIDE VARNISH: A fluoride coating that helps strengthen enamel and reduce the risk of tooth decay.
- ORAL HYGIENE INSTRUCTION: Practical support for looking after your teeth and gums between appointments. See Home care above.
- TOOTH FILLINGS: Dental therapists can treat decay with fillings and discuss replacing amalgam with white fillings where appropriate.
- ICON WHITE SPOT REMOVAL: Treatment that can improve the appearance of some white or dark patches, including marks associated with fluorosis.
- FISSURE SEALANT: A protective coating for the grooves in your back teeth that helps reduce the risk of decay.
- STOP SMOKING: We can offer information and support to help you quit and protect your oral health.
- GUM DISEASE TREATMENT: We help manage early inflammation and more advanced periodontal disease. Treatment may include scaling and debridement to remove deposits below the gum line, with ongoing reviews. Antibiotics may be considered when clinically appropriate.
Your clinicians
Meet Dan. He really does love Airflow.
Dan loves a good chat and a thorough clean. He’ll put you at ease, take care around sensitive teeth and show you how to keep them clean at home.
"You've already completed half of your journey by walking through the door."
Emma Hindle
DIPDH (RCS) DIPDT (RCS)
GDC: 252153
GDC: 252153
Dental Therapist
read more
Khalid Ahmed
BSc, DIPDH (Cardiff)
GDC: 164607
GDC: 164607
Dental Therapist
read moreHealthy mouth FAQ
How often do I book hygiene appointments?
Your hygienist or therapist will recommend an interval based on your gum health and how you’re managing at home. Some patients return around every six months. People managing gum disease may need visits every three months or more often, sometimes with longer appointments. We’ll review what you need as your gum health changes.
Do I need a dental check-up first?
At Smileworks, new patients need a check-up with a dentist before hygiene treatment. This is our practice’s requirement so we can understand your oral health and plan your care. Your check-up and hygiene treatment can be booked together for the same visit. Tell our team you’re a new patient so we can arrange both.
How long is a hygiene appointment?
Appointments can be 30, 60, 75 or 90 minutes, depending on the care you need. The consultation may take around 20 minutes, with the remaining time used for treatment and advice. The balance varies, especially at a first visit when we’re getting to know you. Our team will confirm how long to book.
How do I maintain healthy gums?
Keep up with the home-care routine agreed with your hygienist or therapist and attend the check-ups and hygiene visits recommended for you. Professional care and daily cleaning work together. Gum disease can develop without pain, so don’t wait for discomfort before asking for help.
Does a scale and polish hurt?
Cleaning can feel sensitive, especially if your gums are inflamed or your teeth are already sensitive. Tell us before we start. We can discuss ways to make treatment more comfortable, including local anaesthetic when needed. We’ll agree a stop signal so you can ask for a break.
I haven’t been for years. Will you judge me?
You don’t need to apologise for how long it’s been. Tell us what’s kept you away, especially if you’ve had a bad experience. We’ll listen and explain what happens next.
What if I’m really nervous?
Tell us what worries you. Is it the water, the instruments, an injection or something that happened at another appointment? Knowing that helps us look after you. Dan uses conversation, breathing and distraction techniques to help nervous patients feel more comfortable.
What’s the difference between a check-up and a hygiene appointment?
A check-up assesses your overall oral health and looks for problems that may need treatment. A hygiene appointment focuses on cleaning your teeth, assessing your gum health and helping you look after them at home. They do different jobs, and you may need both.
Can I just have Airflow? I don’t like scraping.
Tell us what you’re hoping for. Airflow uses air, water and a fine powder to remove biofilm and surface stains. We’ll check your teeth first and explain whether you also need scaling to remove hard deposits.
Visit Smileworks
Find us at One Park West, 1a Kenyons Steps, Liverpool L1 3DF.
Not sure what to book? Tell us what’s bothering you and we’ll help you choose the right appointment.