Brushing & interdental coaching · Perivale, Ealing
A practical, one-to-one session that turns “brush better” into something you can actually do: the right technique for your mouth, the right interdental brush sizes, and a routine that takes minutes, not effort.
A home routine built around your mouth.
Marisa Lennie · GDC 252605
The short answer
Oral hygiene instruction is personalised, hands-on coaching in how to clean your own teeth and gums effectively: brushing technique, cleaning between the teeth, and choosing products that suit your mouth.
Professional cleaning removes what has built up, but what happens at home every day decides whether gums stay healthy. National guidance on preventing gum disease puts effective daily plaque removal, brushing and cleaning between the teeth, at the centre of care.
Coaching is part of every appointment I carry out, from a hygiene clean to gum disease treatment. If you’d like more time to focus on it, tell me when you book and we’ll plan the visit around it.
Your home toolkit
Most people only need four things. The skill is in using the right size, at the right angle, every day.
Manual or electric. Angle the bristles towards the gumline and move slowly, a tooth or two at a time.
Sized to each gap. Most mouths need two or three different sizes, which we measure together.
For gaps too tight for the smallest interdental brush, curved around each tooth.
1,350 to 1,500 ppm for adults. Spit out after brushing rather than rinsing, so the fluoride keeps working.
Source: Delivering Better Oral Health, chapter 2 (opens in a new tab) and Delivering Better Oral Health (opens in a new tab).
Your appointment
We work from what I can see in your mouth rather than a generic leaflet, and you practise each technique before you leave.
Book a hygiene sessionWhere plaque is collecting
I check your gums for bleeding and look at where plaque is collecting, so we focus on the areas your current routine is missing rather than general advice.
02Brushing
Technique & angle
I show you how to angle the brush towards the gumline and move it in small movements, then you try it yourself, with a mirror if it helps.
Cleaning between the teeth
We find the right interdental brush sizes for each gap, or floss where gaps are very tight. Most people need more than one size.
Toothpaste & tools
Fluoride toothpaste strength, manual or electric brush, mouthwash or not: we go through what makes a difference for your mouth and what you can skip.
05Plan
A routine you’ll keep
You leave with a simple written routine and the sizes to buy. At your next visit we check the bleeding scores together and adjust if needed.
From the chair
Nobody enjoys being told they’re brushing wrong, and that isn’t what these sessions are for. The changes we make are small and practical.
“I use an electric toothbrush, so I must be doing it right.”
An electric brush helps, and the research backs it up, but it still needs to be held at the right angle and moved slowly around each tooth. The most common thing I see is the brush moving too fast and skipping the gumline, especially on the inside surfaces.
Related: Plaque & tartar
“Interdental brushes make my gums bleed, so I stopped.”
Bleeding at first is usually a sign the gums are inflamed, not that the brush is wrong, and it tends to settle as the gums get healthier with daily cleaning. I’ll check the sizes, because a brush that’s too big or too small is another common reason people give up.
Related: Bleeding gums
“I don’t have time for a long routine.”
You don’t need one. Two minutes of brushing twice a day, plus cleaning between your teeth once a day, is the routine for most people. We’ll make it fit around your day rather than the other way round.
Related: Bad breath
Choosing the right visit
Every hygiene visit includes personalised coaching. Choose the visit that fits the rest of what your mouth needs.
Most popular
£9545 min
A 45-minute clean with coaching built in: we look at where plaque is collecting and practise the technique that fixes it.
Best for
Anyone who wants their routine checked while their teeth are professionally cleaned.
Book this visitMore time
£11060 min
A full hour, so there’s time for a thorough clean and a longer, unhurried coaching session.
Best for
People new to interdental brushes, or with braces, bridges or implants to clean around.
About Hygiene CleanAfter gum treatment
£9545 min
Ongoing care after gum treatment, where home cleaning is checked against your gum readings every visit.
Best for
Anyone who has had gum disease treatment and needs their technique to keep pockets stable.
About Periodontal MaintenanceThe evidence
It’s the question I’m asked most. A large Cochrane review compared the two, and the answer is useful but practical.
Source: Cochrane review (opens in a new tab).
The 2014 Cochrane review found powered toothbrushes reduced plaque by about 11% after one to three months and 21% after more than three months, and gingivitis by about 6% and 11%, compared with manual brushes.
An electric brush can make good cleaning easier, but technique still matters. A manual brush used well is far better than an electric brush used quickly.
Brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between your teeth every day. We’ll fit whichever brush you have into that routine.
Honest expectations
Good technique is the foundation of healthy gums, but it works alongside professional care rather than replacing it.
Not at all. It’s a practical, judgement-free conversation, and you do most of the trying. Plenty of people haven’t been shown how to use interdental brushes before, and that’s completely normal.
If anything feels uncomfortable, such as an interdental brush that’s too big, we change it there and then.
Routine based on Delivering Better Oral Health (opens in a new tab) and NHS (opens in a new tab).
Your interval between visits is based on your own risk, in line with NICE guidance.
Oral Hygiene Instruction FAQs
Can’t see your question? Email me or call 020 8997 0933.
Coaching is included in every hygiene appointment, such as a 45-minute hygiene clean at £95. If you’d like a longer session focused on technique, ask when you book.
A 2014 Cochrane review found powered brushes reduced plaque and gingivitis more than manual brushes. Technique still matters, so I’ll show you how to use whichever brush you have.
Floss works well for very tight gaps. Where the gaps are larger, interdental brushes usually clean more effectively. Many people use both, and I’ll show you which suits each area.
Bleeding is usually a sign of inflammation caused by plaque. It often settles as the gums get healthier with daily cleaning. If it doesn’t, we look further, because it can be an early sign of gum disease.
Mouthwash isn’t a substitute for brushing and cleaning between your teeth. If you use one, use it at a different time from brushing, so you don’t rinse away the fluoride from your toothpaste.
No. Coaching is part of every hygiene appointment, and you can book one with me directly under GDC direct access, without seeing a dentist first.
Marisa qualified through the Royal College of Surgeons of England, training clinically at King’s College Hospital, London, and is an Approved Education Supervisor for trainee hygienists & therapists. Teaching patients how to clean their own teeth is part of every appointment Marisa carries out, and as an Approved Education Supervisor she also teaches trainee hygienists and therapists.
This page gives general advice on cleaning your teeth. Your own routine depends on your mouth, so it’s best set at an appointment. Gums that bleed for more than a couple of weeks despite good cleaning should be checked.
Call the practice or send an email to book your appointment.
Bilton Road Dental Practice · 56 Bilton Rd, Perivale, Greenford, London, UB6 7DH
Hygiene coaching in Perivale, Ealing (UB6), close to Greenford, Alperton, Sudbury, Hanwell and Northolt.
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