Regular hygiene visits are one of the most important things you can do for your long-term oral health. We offer both standard and advanced GBT hygiene appointments, and you can book either online.
Two hygiene appointments, both with our hygienist, and a third route if your gums need the dentist first. Pick the one that suits your teeth and book it online; if you are not sure, call and we will point you to the right one.
Standard hygiene appointment
Ideal for routine maintenance and ongoing oral health care. Includes professional scaling and polishing, plaque and tartar removal, and personalised oral hygiene advice. The right choice when your gums are healthy, or for a first visit in a while. £69.
Guided Biofilm Therapy is a modern, gentle approach to dental cleaning using warm-water AirFlow technology in place of most of the scraping. Particularly suitable for patients with sensitive teeth, staining, implants, braces or composite bonding. £85. More about GBT and AirFlow.
If your gums bleed or feel sore, you have not been seen for a while, or you have been told you have gum disease, a gum assessment with the dentist comes first. Treatment is planned around what the assessment finds, and hygiene visits become part of keeping your gums stable. Not sure which applies to you? Call and we will advise. More about gum care.
We are a GBT certified practice and offer Guided Biofilm Therapy as our advanced hygiene option.
Why it matters
Why visit the dental hygienist regularly?
Brushing and flossing at home do most of the work. A hygienist does the part you cannot: removing the hardened plaque that has already settled, checking the gums and soft tissues, and showing you where your routine is missing.
Prevent gum diseaseProfessional cleaning removes plaque and tartar that brushing alone cannot reach, helping prevent gum disease and its complications.
Early detection of oral cancerRegular hygiene visits include a check of the soft tissues, helping identify any changes that may need further investigation.
Prevent tooth decayProfessional cleaning and fluoride advice helps prevent decay and identifies early signs before they become bigger problems.
Protect your overall healthGood oral health is closely linked to general wellbeing, including heart health, diabetes management and respiratory health.
Maintain a healthy, confident smileRegular hygiene care keeps your teeth looking and feeling their best, removing staining and keeping your breath fresh.
Look after cosmetic workBonding, veneers, implants and whitening all last longer when the teeth and gums around them are kept clean. A hygiene visit is the simplest way to protect what you have invested in.
Bleeding when you brush, or gums that look red or puffy, is worth mentioning when you book. It is common, it is usually treatable, and it is exactly what a hygiene visit is for.
A hygiene appointment is one of the simplest visits to the practice. Here is what to expect, step by step.
In the surgery at Crow Road.
1A look at your gums and soft tissuesYour hygienist checks your gums for bleeding, swelling and pockets, and looks at the soft tissues of your mouth. If anything needs a dentist’s attention, they will tell you.
2Plaque and tartar removalHardened plaque (tartar) is removed from around the gumline and between the teeth, where a toothbrush cannot reach. In a GBT appointment, warm-water AirFlow does most of this work gently.
3Polish and stain removalSurface staining from tea, coffee, wine or smoking is polished away, so the teeth look cleaner and feel smooth to the tongue.
4Personalised adviceYou leave knowing which areas you are missing at home, which brush or interdental size suits your teeth, and when to come back.
If you have sensitive teeth, let us know when you book or at the start of the appointment. The approach can be adapted, and the GBT appointment is designed to be gentler than traditional cleaning.
Nervous about the dentist? A hygiene visit involves no drilling and, for most people, no injection. You set the pace and can ask for a break at any point.
A hygiene visit resets the clock. What keeps your gums healthy is the routine between visits, and your hygienist will tailor this to you.
Brush twice a dayTwo minutes, morning and last thing at night, with a fluoride toothpaste. Spit, do not rinse, so the fluoride stays on the teeth.
Clean between the teethInterdental brushes or floss once a day reach the surfaces a toothbrush misses, which is where gum disease usually starts.
Watch for bleedingGums that bleed when you brush are not a reason to stop brushing them. Keep going gently, and mention it at your next visit.
Limit sugar and acid between mealsSnacks and sugary or fizzy drinks through the day feed the bacteria that cause decay. Keep them to mealtimes where you can.
Keep up your check-upsA hygiene visit and a dental examination do different jobs. Your dentist checks the teeth, fillings and bite; your hygienist looks after the gums and cleaning.
Come back when advisedMost patients benefit from a hygiene visit every six months. If your gums need more support, your hygienist may suggest coming more often.
What it costs
Hygiene fees
Two fixed prices, shown before you book, with no consultation fee first.
Nothing does: both are fixed. The difference between the two is the AirFlow stage of the advanced appointment, not the length of the visit or the state of your teeth, so which to book is a question of what suits you rather than what it will come to. These are our private fees.
Routine hygiene care is covered by our Denplan monthly plans, which spread the cost of your check-ups and hygiene visits across the year. If you already have a plan with us, book as normal and the standard hygiene visit is included. Only some plans cover the advanced GBT appointment, so ask at reception if you would like a plan that does. About Denplan.
Efficient and friendly staff, hygienist Ellie Callon is excellent
★★★★★Alistair L
Ellie and colleague were excellent and made me feel very calm and relaxed
★★★★★Anonymous
Take this as an American who has regular cleanings - I've never had a better cleaning in my 20 years in the UK than I have had today with Susan!
★★★★★Medeia Cohan
Dental hygiene FAQs
Your questions, answered
Anything we have not covered, ask at your appointment or call the practice on 0141 334 2550.
Most patients benefit from a hygiene visit every 6 months. Your dentist or hygienist may recommend more frequent visits depending on your individual needs, for example if your gums bleed easily, you have had gum treatment, or you have implants or braces to keep clean.
Standard hygiene focuses on professional scaling and polishing. GBT uses warm-water AirFlow technology for a gentler, more thorough clean, particularly beneficial for sensitive patients or those with implants or bonding. Both are fixed prices, shown in the fees section above and again before you book.
Standard hygiene is generally comfortable. GBT is specifically designed to be gentler than traditional cleaning methods. If you have sensitive teeth, let us know and we’ll adapt the approach. Gums that are inflamed can feel tender during cleaning, and that usually settles as they become healthier.
Yes, you can book a hygiene appointment directly: the hygiene visit is your first appointment, with no examination or consultation first. If your hygienist finds anything that needs a dentist’s attention, they will tell you at the appointment and we can arrange an examination. You do not need to be an existing patient of the practice to book.
At Dentistry @ Jordanhill both hygiene appointments are fixed prices: the figures are in the fees section above and on the fee guide, and you see the price again before you confirm an online booking. There is no consultation or examination fee before a hygiene visit.
A check-up is with the dentist, who examines your teeth, fillings, bite and gums and takes x-rays when needed. A hygiene visit is with the hygienist and is about cleaning: removing plaque and tartar, polishing away stains, and helping you look after your gums at home. Most people need both, and they are booked separately.
It removes surface staining from tea, coffee, wine and smoking, so teeth often look noticeably cleaner and brighter afterwards. It does not change the natural colour of the enamel. If you want your teeth lighter than their natural shade, that is teeth whitening, and a hygiene visit beforehand gives it the best start.
It is common, but it is not something to ignore. Bleeding is usually the earliest sign of gum inflammation caused by plaque along the gumline. In most cases it improves with a professional clean and better cleaning between the teeth. Mention it when you book, and if the hygienist thinks your gums need more than a routine visit, they will say so.
Yes, and it matters more with them than without. Plaque collects around brackets, implant crowns and the edges of bonding, where it is harder to clean at home. The GBT appointment is particularly suitable here because warm-water AirFlow cleans around these surfaces without scratching them.
It depends on how much there is to remove and whether it is your first visit for a while. A routine visit for someone who comes regularly is one of the shorter appointments at the practice; a first visit after a long gap, or a mouth with a lot of tartar or staining, takes longer. If there is more to do than one visit allows, your hygienist will say so and suggest a second visit rather than rush the first.
Yes. Gums are often more prone to bleeding and swelling during pregnancy, so a hygiene visit is a good idea rather than something to put off. Tell us when you book so the appointment can be planned around how you are feeling.
Carry on as normal. Your teeth may feel a little more sensitive to cold for a day or two, especially where tartar has been removed from the gumline, and that settles. Keep up the brushing and interdental cleaning your hygienist showed you, and go easy on tea, coffee and red wine for the rest of the day if staining was polished away.
Find us in the West End
Find us on Crow Road
454 Crow Road, Glasgow G11 7DR
Next to Jordanhill train station, on bus routes, with parking close by. Ground-floor surgery with disabled access at the front of the practice. Opening hours are in the footer below.
Dentistry @ JordanhillWest End of Glasgow
