Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists work closely with other members of the Dental team at Lion House Dental Practice. They are able to carry out preventive and periodontal treatments for adults and children.

Health education is an important part of the role and the dental therapist is responsible for carrying out a range of procedures, including:

• Intra and extra oral assessment
• Scaling and polishing
• Applying materials to teeth such as fluoride and fissure sealants
• Taking dental radiographs
• Providing dental health education on a one-to-one basis or in a group situation
• Undertaking routine restorations in both deciduous (previously known as baby teeth) teeth and permanent teeth, on adults and children
• Using all materials except pre cast or pinned placements
• Extracting deciduous (baby) teeth under local infiltration analgesia

Provided they have completed appropriate training, dental therapists can perform extended duties such as:

Dental therapists may treat patients who have high treatment needs.

• Undertaking the pulp therapy treatment of deciduous teeth (formerly known as baby teeth)
• Placing pre-formed crowns on deciduous teeth
• Administering inferior dental nerve block analgesia under the supervision of a dentist
• Providing emergency temporary replacement of crowns and fillings
• Taking impressions
• Treating patients under conscious sedation provided the dentist remains in the surgery throughout the treatment

The dental therapist may treat a wide range of patients who have high treatment needs, such as those who:

• Are dentally anxious
• Are medically compromised
• Are physically disabled
• Have learning disabilities
• Have high levels of untreated decay
• Are unable to access regular dental care in the general dental service