Tatyana
Dental Hygienist
Tatyana is a registered dental hygienist practicing in the State of New York and completed her degree at the New York University College of Dentistry. She received her first education at the Medical Academy for Dentistry in her country and practiced as a Dentist for many years. She also is a member of the Dental Hygienists Association. Tatyana has been a part of our team since 2016.
She enjoys reading professional hygiene and dental publications and literature while staying up to date with continuing her education in the field. As a leading Brooklyn hygienist Tatyana prides herself on applying her professional expertise to provide the most current information and treatment to all her patients.
In her free time, Tatyana loves spending time with her family, traveling, painting and is addicted to old Hollywood movies.
Lidia
Dental Hygienist
Lidia a dental hygienist in Brooklyn at LuxDen Dental Center. She is from Ukraine and has been in the dental field for 10 years! She uses a specialized approach for every patient and truly loves to make her patients comfortable and thoroughly clean by the time she is finished with them.
Lidia loves sports, especially running and jogging. Outside of the office, you can find her at the beach, exploring nature and studying natural science.
Nadiia
Dental Hygienist
Nadiia is a registered dental hygienist. She is originally from Ukraine where she completed her master’s degree in accounting. Upon moving to the USA with her husband and son, Nadiia pursued a different path towards dentistry.
She is truly proud of the work she does and believes that confidence starts with a smile. Outside of work, Nadiia enjoys gardening and growing a beautiful variety of flowers.
How Often Should I See a Hygienist in Brooklyn and Why?
Usually, dentist Dr. Umanoff recommend patients visit a dental hygienist for professional dental cleanings at six-monthly intervals, but their advice can go unheeded unless people understand why these visits are so necessary and the substantial benefits of taking this approach toward dental care.
One problem is that people often think dental hygiene visits in Brooklyn are unnecessary if they feel that they are caring for their teeth correctly and don’t seem to have any obvious dental problems. However, dental hygiene appointments are vital for anyone who wants to maintain an optimal level of oral health. Even if you brush your teeth twice a day without fail and floss once-a-day, you’ll still need to see your Brooklyn hygienist regularly as you almost certainly leave some dental plaque on your teeth.
What is Dental Plaque?
You have several hundred species of bacteria living in your mouth at any given time. Most species are benign or not harmful, but some strains can damage your oral health. You can find oral bacteria in what is called a plaque biofilm, a sticky layer that builds up over tooth surfaces continuously. When you brush and floss your teeth, most plaque biofilm is removed, but not all. It is highly likely that some remain trapped in between teeth or in other hard-to-clean crevices or in areas where you routinely fail to brush thoroughly. Once the plaque biofilm has been there for a day or so, it begins to harden into calculus, more commonly known as tartar.
Tartar is a hard, crusty substance that cannot be removed by a toothbrush. It will stay on your teeth until you see a hygienist and who can scale or scrape all tartar off your tooth surfaces using ultrasonic and hand instruments. If you fail to see a hygienist regularly, tartar will continue to build up over your tooth surfaces, and you may begin to see it around the gum line, and it can look yellow and quite unpleasant. What is worse, is that the bacteria in plaque are still there in tartar, and these bacteria produce toxins and acids that harm your teeth and gums.
How Can Plaque Bacteria Harm Oral Health?
These acids will increase your risk of tooth decay, eroding your tooth enamel and softening it, so that gradually you develop cavities. The toxins are equally or possibly more harmful. These infect your gums and promote an inflammatory response from your body as it tries to fight this infection. This infection is called gum disease or periodontal disease.
What is Periodontal Disease?
As your gums become more inflamed, they begin to bleed frequently. Initially, you might only notice blood on your toothbrush or in the bathroom sink, but as the gum tissue becomes more fragile, they can bleed more easily.
The inflammation gradually destroys the gums, so you may notice your teeth begin to look longer as the gums recede from the teeth and gradually expose the tooth roots.
As the gums recede, they fit less snugly around your teeth, so that gaps called periodontal pockets start to form between the gum and tooth.These periodontal pockets are the ideal environment for harmful bacteria to thrive, and because they are quite deep, they are tricky to clean with a toothbrush.
Eventually, the inflammation will begin to destroy other structures around your teeth, including the ligaments attached to teeth and the tooth sockets, and which help to hold them in place, and even the sockets themselves.
How Can Hygiene Appointments in Brooklyn Avoid This Problem?
Regular dental hygiene appointments can help to avoid the problems caused by tooth decay and gum disease. When you see a Brooklyn hygienist regularly, they can remove all tartar buildup from your teeth, eliminating the bacteria that can cause oral diseases. Also, it is a treatment that leaves you with nice fresh breath and a sparkling clean smile. Your dental hygienist can also generally assess your oral health. You might have noticed that they use a small probe, called a periodontal probe to feel around each of your gums carefully. They measure the spaces between your gums and teeth, and which should be no more than 3mm when you have strong and healthy gums.
An increase in the depth of these spaces can indicate the beginnings of gum disease as periodontal pockets start to form. Measurements are taken at every appointment and are checked against the previous visit, providing the hygienist and your dentist Dr. Umanoff with an ongoing picture of your oral health.
Carefully monitoring your dental health in this way makes it far easier to see and changes, and to take the appropriate action before they worsen.
What Happens If Your Hygienist Does See Any Changes?
If your dentist Dr. Umanoff or hygienist in Brooklyn does notice any changes to your oral health, they can talk to you about why these changes might have occurred and what to do to restore good oral health. Sometimes, all that might be needed is a change in your oral care routine.
You could need to pay more attention to your regular brushing and flossing routine, and your hygienist can tell you if there are certain areas you might regularly be missing. They can also work with you to improve brushing techniques and discuss other types of toothbrushes or toothpaste that might be useful to try.
Lots of people loathe flossing, and if this strikes a nerve, ask your hygienist for help and advice. Flossing is essential if you do want healthy teeth and gums because even the best toothbrush in the world cannot reach between your teeth and this is exactly where tooth decay and gum disease frequently develops. Your hygienist can show you how to floss correctly, using techniques that are easy to use. However, if the thought of flossing your teeth every day still leaves you feeling unmoved, ask them to show you other ways to floss. You don’t need to stick to using conventional dental floss.
You might find it easier to use interdental brushes, which are a bit like tiny toothbrushes shaped like little trees and which slip easily between teeth. Interdental pics are made from a soft, flexible material and are also very easy to use. Alternatively, purchase a waterpik, which is a small electrical device designed to squirt pressurized water between teeth. It is a great investment and is far cheaper than dental treatment for gum disease!
Along with regular dental checkups in Brooklyn, your hygiene appointments are critical for oral health and will ensure you enjoy a healthy smile for longer, and preferably for life.
