Dear Patients,
I am Rosanna Hosker-Thornhill, the hygienist and therapist at LCIAD.
Dental hygiene appointments are the cornerstone of any successful practice. Regular hygiene appointments are proven to increase the longevity of dental work, prevent new disease from taking hold and ensure regular monitoring of every aspect of your dental health before minor problems become big ones. Regular hygienist visits give our patients peace of mind that there is nothing serious developing under old dental work or under the gums. Regular hygiene visits also monitor for oral cancer.
Sadly, the lockdown has seen some of our patients postponing their regular hygiene maintenance visits and we are already seeing significant problems. Patients whose dental health has been stable for years, due to their quarterly hygiene visits, are returning after long periods away with significant new problems of decay and gum disease. It is estimated that reduced attendance at dental clinics over 2020 will double the rate of undetected oral cancers.
Stress and worry about COVID can cause damping down of your immune system leading to controlled periodontal disease becoming active again. Being at home can lead to increased snacking on sugary foods that increases decay rates under previously stable dental restorations. Smoking rates are increasing due to stress and boredom of being at home.
This is exactly the time where hygienist visits are most valuable – supporting your dental stability. Even if you are putting off more complex dental work until the spring which we fully understand, putting off hygiene visits is counterproductive and can lead to deterioration of your current condition and reversal of the dental problems we have previously solved together. Hygienist visits during lockdown can also help to keep current problems stable until they can be properly addressed.
LCIAD goes to great lengths to keep patients and clinical staff safe and our enhanced Standard Operating Procedures have been active since we reopened our doors on 15th June 2020.
I am available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at LCIAD. Please contact us now on 020 7323 3041 to book your regular hygiene appointment.
If you do not have a dentist and would like to see me at LCIAD, please complete our contact form and we will be delighted to help.
Wishing you good dental health!
Rosanna Hosker-Thornhill DDHT RCS(Eng.)
Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist