Dental Hygiene in Edinburgh
A proper professional clean is one of the most effective things you can do for your long-term oral health. It takes about an hour, and the difference is immediately noticeable.
OVERVIEW
Citrus Dental Care provides dental hygiene appointments at 1 Meadow Place, Edinburgh EH9 1JZ, near The Meadows. Hygiene appointments are available from £85 and include a professional scale and polish and periodontal advice. An enhanced hygiene appointment with Airflow air polishing is available at £95. Hygiene treatment is delivered by Diana Botero (GDC No. 249678), who qualified in Spain in 2011 and has worked in Scotland since 2014. Membership plan patients receive two to four hygiene appointments per year as part of their plan.
What Does a Hygiene Appointment Actually Involve?
You’ve just come back from a long walk across The Meadows, coffee in hand, and your teeth feel like they always do, fine until you run your tongue across the back of your lower front teeth and notice that familiar rough edge that your toothbrush never quite shifts. That’s tartar, also called calculus, and no amount of brushing at home removes it once it’s there. A hygienist does.
A dental hygiene appointment is a professional clean carried out by a qualified dental hygienist. It involves removing plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth and below the gumline, polishing away surface staining, and giving you practical advice on keeping things that way at home. It goes significantly further than brushing and flossing alone, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent gum disease before it takes hold.
Is a Dental Hygiene Appointment Right for Me?
Everyone benefits from a professional clean, but hygiene appointments are particularly important if you’ve had any signs of gum disease, notice bleeding when you brush or floss, have persistent bad breath despite good home care, or wear braces, a bridge, dentures, or have dental implants. These all create harder-to-reach areas where plaque accumulates faster than it does on natural teeth alone.
If you’ve had gum disease treatment in the past, regular hygiene appointments aren’t optional, they’re how you maintain the progress made and stop problems recurring.
What Does the Process Look Like?
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1Initial assessmentDiana will assess your gum health, measure pocket depths, and note any areas of concern before starting treatment.
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2ScalingRemoving hardened tartar from the tooth surfaces and, where needed, below the gumline using specialist instruments.
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3PolishingRemoving surface staining and leaving teeth smooth and clean.
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4Airflow (if selected)A fine jet of air, water, and powder used to remove staining, plaque, and biofilm from hard-to-reach areas with less discomfort than traditional methods.
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5Home care advicePractical guidance on brushing technique, interdental cleaning, and any tools or products that would make a difference for your specific situation.
How Much Does a Hygiene Appointment Cost in Edinburgh?
Appointment | Fee | What’s included |
Dental hygiene | £85 | Scale and polish, gum assessment, home care advice |
Dental hygiene with Airflow air polishing | £95 | Enhanced clean with Airflow technology |
Membership plan patients receive hygiene appointments as part of their monthly plan. Level 1 from £22.50/month includes two hygiene visits a year. Level 2 at £35/month includes four.
We See Patients From Across Edinburgh and Beyond
We regularly see hygiene patients from Newington, Bruntsfield, Tollcross, Marchmont, and Morningside, as well as patients travelling in from Leith and across Edinburgh. Whether you’re booking your first hygiene appointment in years or keeping up a regular routine, you’re welcome on Meadow Place.
Here’s the rewritten section built around the practice and the offer rather than any individual.
No sure where to begin? Just give us a ring.
Why Edinburgh Patients Choose Citrus for Their Hygiene Appointments
Good oral hygiene is the foundation of everything else in dentistry. It’s the reason we take hygiene appointments seriously rather than treating them as an afterthought between check-ups. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Accepting new NHS patients
That's genuinely rare in Edinburgh right now, and it means NHS patients can actually get registered and looked after properly rather than added to a waiting list.
We don't do unnecessary treatment
As one of our patients put it: "He always discusses any costs upfront and only does work on my teeth if it's essentially required. This is not a money-making practice." That's the standard we hold ourselves to.
We're good with nervous patients
If the word "check-up" already has your stomach turning, you're in good company. A significant part of what we do is helping people who've avoided the dentist for years to get back into the habit without dreading it.
We keep it consistent
Same team, same approach, every time. You'll be seen by someone who actually knows your dental history, not a stranger reading your notes for the first time.
REGISTRATION
Register With Citrus Dental Care
New to the area, returning after a while away, or just finally getting round to that appointment you’ve been putting off. You’re welcome here and registering is straightforward.
Here’s what you get when you join us:
- Free NHS check-ups for all registered patients
- Same-day emergency appointments when you need them
- A friendly, consistent team who gets to know you
- Membership plans from £22.50 a month
- 0% finance on private treatment through Tabeo
- Gentle, unhurried care at whatever pace suits you
NHS patients are very welcome. We’re currently accepting new NHS registrations alongside private patients, which we know isn’t something every Edinburgh practice can say right now.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Question about Dental Hygiene
For most people, twice a year alongside their check-ups is enough. If you have active gum disease or a history of periodontal problems, your dentist or hygienist may recommend more frequent appointments, typically every three or four months, to maintain the health of your gums.
For most patients, no. You may feel some pressure and hear the instruments working, but a scale and polish is not a painful procedure. If your gums are inflamed or you have sensitive teeth, you may feel some discomfort, which Diana will manage carefully and can discuss with you beforehand.
Airflow uses a jet of air, water, and fine powder to remove plaque, biofilm, and staining from tooth surfaces and between teeth, including areas that traditional scaling instruments don't reach as easily. It's particularly effective for patients with staining from coffee, tea, or smoking, or patients with orthodontic appliances. At £95 compared to £85 for a standard clean, most patients who try it book it again.
No, a hygiene appointment and a dental examination are two different things. Your hygienist will assess your gum health, but a full dental examination is carried out by your dentist. Many patients book both on the same day, which we're happy to accommodate.
If there's a significant buildup of tartar, there may be more to remove, which can take longer and feel more uncomfortable than a routine maintenance visit. Diana will be straightforward with you about what she's finding and will always work carefully. It's worth getting started regardless, the condition of your gums will improve with treatment and subsequent appointments are always more straightforward.
Yes, and actually that's one of the main reasons to book. Bleeding gums are a common sign of gum disease, which is both very treatable and very preventable when caught and managed properly. It's not something to wait out.
