Gum Health and Hygiene

We believe in prevention over cure

At Nothing But The Tooth, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality care to keep your smile healthy for life.

That’s why our dental care package for your regular appointments prioritises prevention, focusing on the treatments that deliver the best long-term benefits for your oral health.

 

Become a member of our practice

Benefits of Therapy-Led Care

Preventive Focus

Preventive Focus

Consistent care helps prevent gum disease, tooth decay, and other oral health issues before they require extensive treatment.

Overall Health Benefits

Overall Health Benefits

There is also strong evidence that good gum health reduces your risk of many serious illnesses, for example heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s.

Improved Wellbeing

Improved Wellbeing

Healthy teeth and gums can also make diabetes easier to manage, reduce the risk of premature birth and stillbirth, and even support fertility.

Gum Health Management

Gum Health Management

Essential for patients with gum disease, ensuring regular gentle and careful deep cleaning and monitoring.

Personal Oral Hygiene Advice

Personal Oral Hygiene Advice

Helps improve daily brushing, flossing, and lifestyle habits for long-term oral health.

Long-term Savings

Long-term Savings

This investment in your oral health will reduce the likelihood of needing complex treatments in the future.

What is Therapy-Led Care?

Therapy-led care is a proactive approach to oral health, focusing on preventive and ongoing care provided primarily by dental hygienists and therapists. This approach ensures the best long term health outcomes as hygienists and therapists specialise in maintaining healthy teeth and gums through detailed assessment and monitoring of your whole mouth, gum health and disease management, and bespoke and intensive patient education.

What is Guided Biofilm Therapy?

Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) is an advanced, gentle, and highly effective system for assessing the health of your gums, revealing where issues lie, removing bacterial-infected plaque, tartar, and stains while preserving the health of your teeth and gums. It is a minimally invasive and pain-free alternative to traditional scaling and polishing and is how we provide all our preventive hygiene care at Nothing But The Tooth.

Our Regular Care Structure

Visit 1: Examination and Guided Biofilm Therapy

For your first visit, you will see your dentist for a Healthy Mouth Assessment. Most patients will benefit from seeing one of our hygiene therapists for Guided Biofilm Therapy. It is helpful if you attend your hygiene therapy appointment first, either immediately or up to a month before your dentist appointment.

Visit 2: Guided Biofilm Therapy with examination if required

For your second visit of the year, your hygiene therapist will provide Guided Biofilm Therapy, as well as checking your teeth for signs of decay and completing a mouth cancer screening.

Visits 3 & 4: Additional Hygiene Appointments

Some patients need to see the therapist more than twice a year. As GBT offers more thorough care, we recommend it for every hygiene appointment. That’s why members of our Sparkle Club receive this as part of their membership. Patients who pay as they go may choose to have additional appointments as GBT or standard hygiene.

What our patients say...

Gum Health and Hygiene FAQs

How is it different from seeing a dentist?

At Nothing But The Tooth, you are always in the expert hands of highly skilled dental professionals.

While dentists can provide treatments such as crowns, root canals, braces and implants, our therapists’ care is centered around prevention and maintenance. Therapists carry out cleanings, monitor gum health, give oral hygiene advice, and apply preventive treatments like fluoride or fissure sealants.

This holistic approach ensures that our patients receive both preventive attention and restorative treatment when necessary.

Do I still need to see my dentist for check ups?

This is entirely your choice.

Our hygienists and therapists are qualified to provide comprehensive healthy mouth checks for all your routine oral health monitoring, as well as all routine treatments like fillings. However, if you have additional needs, such as orthodontic concerns or crowns, we would recommend having an appointment with your dentist.

Is GBT safe?

Absolutely! All procedures performed follow strict clinical protocols and infection control standards. Your medical history is taken into account when prescribing any treatment and our therapists are all highly trained and experienced, ensuring patient safety at every stage.

Does GBT hurt?

No. Guided Biofilm Therapy is designed to be gentle and comfortable. Air-polishing and ultrasonic tools are less abrasive than traditional hand scaling, which reduces discomfort and irritation. Warm water means that sensitivity can be dramatically reduced throughout the session.

How often should I attend hygiene appointments?

Most patients benefit from hygiene appointments every 3 to 6 months. The exact interval depends on your oral health, lifestyle, diet, and risk factors such as gum disease, sensitivity, or a history of decay. Your therapist will assess your needs and create a personalised schedule that supports your long-term oral health.

Our Lifelong Sparkle Club Membership provides easy monthly payments for all levels of maintenance care packages

Do hygiene appointments replace my normal brushing and flossing?

No. Any treatment provided by your hygienist or therapist supports and enhances your daily oral hygiene, but it doesn’t replace it. Brushing twice a day and cleaning between your teeth daily remain essential for preventing plaque build-up and gum disease.

At your appointment your therapist will remove biofilm (the living bacterial plaque that does all the damage!) and stains from areas that are hard to reach with home care alone, as well as providing personalised advice to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy.

My teeth feel clean and my gums don’t bleed. Why do I need to come for hygiene checks?

Gum disease can appear at any age and certain types of disease are only detected by measurement of the gap between the tooth and gum by a trained dental professional. Although it is a good sign that you don’t have any bleeding, this does not guarantee that your gums are healthy, especially if you smoke.

Why do my gums bleed when I brush or floss?

Bleeding gums are usually a sign of gum inflammation, often caused by plaque and bacteria building up along the gumline. This can happen if you haven’t been brushing or cleaning between your teeth thoroughly, allowing the gums to become irritated and sensitive.

Bleeding can also be an early sign of gum disease, so it’s important not to ignore it.

Not sure whether the treatment is for you?

Book for a free no-obligation consultation to find our more. Just call us on 0121 382 8544 or make an enquiry using our online form.

Get in touch

@NothingButTheTooth

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📚 Want to know more about your dental care? 📚

Whether you're curious about becoming a member of our practice, have questions about a particular treatment, or want to find out how our Sparkle Club could help you save money while looking after your oral health, we've got you covered! 🦷✨

You'll find a whole range of helpful information leaflets and brochures in our reception area, so please feel free to help yourself during your next visit.

Or if you're not passing by, just drop us a message and we'd be more than happy to send you a digital copy 💙
What happens when you work at a dental practice and need treatment...?
Your colleagues do it, of course! 🦷
 
We’d never recommend a treatment to our patients that we wouldn’t be happy to have ourselves — so when one of us needs treatment, it’s not unusual to find a colleague in the chair.
 
From routine check-ups and hygiene appointments to more complex work, we wouldn’t choose to go anywhere else. Here you can see our Patient Care Coordinator, Georgie, having composite bonding with our Dental Therapist, Mariam ✨
 
Because if we trust each other with our smiles, you can trust us with yours. 💙

#dentalpractice #dentalprofessionals #compositebonding
Have you ever thought about what happens to your toothbrush when you throw it away..? 🪥
Unfortunately, it doesn't just disappear…

Most toothbrushes end up in landfill, meaning that nearly every toothbrush made since the 1930s is still out there in the world somewhere. And with over 3.6 billion toothbrushes thrown away every year, you can imagine the huge impact that has on our planet. 🌍

But… you can be part of the change! ♻️

Bring your used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes, floss containers and interdental brushes to our practice and we’ll recycle them for you through @terracycleuk. ✨ Tell your friends, family and neighbours - you don't have to be a patient of ours to bring your recycling to us!
✨ Gemma’s smile transformation ✨

A beautiful example of how a combination of treatments can come together to create a beautifully refreshed smile. Gemma’s treatment journey included clear aligners, professional teeth whitening and composite bonding to subtly enhance her front teeth and complete her smile.

The result is one very happy patient! 🥰

"I highly recommend this practice, from the warm welcome you always receive to the outstanding treatment - it cannot be faulted. I have recently had my teeth straightened and the results have exceeded my expectations. Although I have always attended regular dental appointments it is only at NBTT that I truly feel that my teeth and oral health are properly being looked after due to the expertise of all the staff."

#suttoncoldfield #clearaligners #compositebonding #teethwhitening #smilemakeover
Our driveway improvements have finally begun! 🚧🎉

We are having our driveway resurfaced and a new ramp installed, not only giving the front of the practice a fresh new look, but also making access smoother and easier for everyone.

While the work is taking place over the next few days, our car park will remain partially open, but there will be reduced availability, so please allow a little extra time when attending for your appointment.

Thank you for your cooperation while the work is underway. We are very excited to see the finished result! ✨
Dental implants are one of our favourite treatments to deliver, because of the huge difference they can make to our patients’ confidence, comfort and quality of life. 🦷✨

We’re here to support you throughout your implant journey, from your initial consultation right through to treatment... Here’s Georgie, ready to work with Dr Hassan to provide another patient with a new smile… We promise she’s smiling under the mask! 😄

#dentalimplants #suttoncoldfield
Always learning, always improving! 📚

Our dentists recently spent the day with Colin Campbell at a Campbell Academy Masterclass, exploring how we can make our consultations even better for our patients.

From listening to you and understanding your individual needs, to accurate treatment planning and clear communication, the day gave us lots of ideas to bring back to the practice and help us continue delivering thoughtful, personalised care. 🦷✨

A big thank you to Colin and Chris for a fantastic day!
Receiving thank you cards from patients with such lovely words about their care is the best thing in the world. 🥰
Restoring strength and shape with Bioclear ✨

Our patient had lovely healthy teeth, but wasn’t happy with the chipped appearance. Using Bioclear, we were able to restore his teeth to a beautiful, even shape while preserving his natural tooth structure!

Bioclear is an incredibly strong way to restore teeth that have had damage from wear and tear or tooth grinding. It is a huge advance in being able to provide long lasting restorations where previously composite bonding may have chipped and worn quite quickly. 🦷

What a lovely result! 😊

#bioclear #bioclearcompositebonding #compositebonding #smilemakeover #suttoncoldfield
August's NBTT Bites is here! 📖

From patient stories to hygiene spotlights, there's lots to enjoy in this month's newsletter. Have a read through the link in our bio!
Six Month Smiles BACD - British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry British Dental Association The Oral Health Foundation GDC