Why Hygienists Matter
Hygienists are the most important clinician in the long-term maintenance programme of your dental care. They are critical infrastructure for maintaining gum health and ensuring that hard-to-reach areas are cleaned professionally, so that you are able to keep them clean with your home care.
What Is a Hygienist?
A hygienist is not a dentist, but is an expert at cleaning teeth and providing professional advice on how to maintain the teeth and gums long term. You should typically see a hygienist every 6 to 12 months, depending on your risk range. If you are a high-risk person, this may be a shorter time frame of every 3 months.
A hygienist has gone through dental school and is able to diagnose and manage decay, gum disease and gingivitis. Their remit stops at more complex treatments, which is where a dentist sits. These include:
What Does a Hygienist Do?
A hygienist professionally cleans areas that are very hard to reach with a toothbrush, such as in between the teeth and the inner part of the lower front teeth, which typically collects plaque and debris. They also clean around prosthetics and dental work that is hard to access.
Bridges, crowns, veneers, onlays, inlays, dental implants and dentures tend to cause more plaque accumulation, simply because you have had the dentistry, and hygienists are critical to maintaining them and ensuring their long-term lifespan.
A hygienist typically analyses how you brush your teeth, gives you specific, targeted advice on the areas you are missing, and then carries out a professional mechanical clean around the teeth that cannot be reached with your home care. This is a critical part of your general health and wellness routine, because higher plaque levels increase inflammation in the mouth and in the rest of the body.
Contact us at Marylebone Smile Clinic to book your hygiene session as soon as you wish.
Is a Hygienist Session Painful?
This depends on the level of your home care and any hygiene treatment you have already had. If you go regularly, the procedure is typically not painful. It is very gentle and does not feel uncomfortable.
If you have inflamed gums and have not been to a hygienist in a long time, meaning over 12 months, you may find a little pain during the treatment, simply because the gums are already inflamed and liable to bleeding and getting worse. But do not be concerned. Bleeding following a hygiene session is a sign that the area is going to start to heal. As long as you brush through it and brush really well, the gums will resolve, so do not let it stop you brushing.
What Does a Hygienist Session Cost?
At Marylebone Smile Clinic, hygienist sessions cost £150. This includes all the treatment involved, the advice needed, and any dental accessories you may need to improve the overall cleaning of your teeth.
Costs vary across the country. You may be able to get a hygienist session under an NHS Band 1 treatment, and private treatment can range from £75 upwards.
Dentist at Marylebone Smile Clinic and an Accredited member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
GDC number: 258353. Last reviewed: 9 November 2026