Dental Practitioners

Our Dental Practitioners

In order to deliver a high level of service and quality oral health care when visiting a Health Partners Dental practice you will see one if not more of our experienced dental practitioners. Our Dental Hygienists and Oral Health Therapists are the newest members of our integrated dental health care team working alongside our dentists to provide you with the best possible care and oral health outcomes.

What is the difference between a Dental Hygienist and an Oral Health Therapist?

Dental Hygienist

A dental hygienist is a registered dental professional.

They work together with the dentist to provide fully integrated oral health care. They use a combination of preventive and educational methods to help prevent and control oral disease and maintain optimum oral health.

Dental hygienists can provide:

• Comprehensive oral assessments, including xrays
• Oral cancer checks
• Periodontal (gum) assessments, treatment and maintenance
• Preventive care including tooth cleaning and polishing, fissure sealants, saliva testing and fluoride therapies
• Mouthguards
• Tooth whitening
• Dental health education including tooth brushing and interproximal cleaning instruction, dietary advice, pregnancy and newborn advice and management of oral conditions
• Implant maintenance
• Smoking cessation and vaping advice

Oral Health Therapist

Oral health therapists are also registered dental professionals.

In addition to fulfilling the role of a Dental Hygienist they are trained and skilled to work independently to provide high quality dental care to children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 18 years.

This can include:

• Dental examinations, diagnosis and treatment planning of dental disease
• Treatments can include restorative services such as fillings, crowns and tooth extraction and preventive services such as fissure sealants and fluoride.