04: Clinical Therapy – My Perspective of Dental Hygiene

Basics: Tooth Brushing and Flossing Technique

I had a client at the UBC clinic that informed me never flosses and only brushes his teeth when he has food stuck in between his teeth. He told me that it is a waste of time because it doesn’t actually help remove plaque. He was a thirty three year old man who immigrated from India a few years prior. I realised that he probably didn’t value oral health as much as we do here in North America and that’s why he might not have been doing oral self care on a regular basis. I explained to him what oral diseases were, how they develop and then I thoroughly demonstrated proper brushing/flossing technique. He now understands the importance of oral hygiene and how it prevents disease from progressing. I thought this was important because it shows that there are certain populations that really do need basic oral health education to build a foundation around its importance.

“Bleeding Gums”

In third year I was assigned a new client who was a sixty year old female. Her chief complaint was that she had “sore gums that always bleed”. She also told me that they only bleed when she brushes her teeth, so she stopped brushing over two weeks ago. The assessments revealed that the woman had a lot of calculus and generalized plaque induced gingivitis with localized slight chronic periodontitis. She also stated that she has not seen a dental hygienist in over fifteen years because every time she used to go her “gums would bleed”. I explained extensively that her gingiva was not bleeding due to tooth brushing, but rather oral disease caused by plaque bacteria build up. After a very long educational session she finally agreed to allow me to debride her teeth. Upon re-evaluation she stated that her gums had stopped bleeding and were no longer sore. I felt that this was an important learning experience because not only did she gain important knowledge, but I was able to recognize tissue/disease healing.