Legally a dental hygienist works to prescription. This means that you need to see a registered dental surgeon first to have a proper check up so that any dental or oral disease can be identified. This is common practice in most countries and it serves to protect the patients. Once the dentist has completed the examination, you can then be referred to the hygienist (if required) for a cleaning or perhaps even more advanced work such as root surface debridement. In our unit, the dental surgeons and hygienists work as a close team to ensure that we can offer the best possible treatment to meet your needs.