Standard hygiene visit
Gum check, ultrasonic and hand scaling, polish and personalised home-care coaching. About thirty minutes.
£89
General dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Dental hygienist in Marylebone: scaling, Airflow and the coaching that keeps gums healthy
A hygiene appointment does two jobs. The first is mechanical: lifting the hardened tartar that brushing cannot remove from around and just beneath the gum line, then polishing away the surface stain that coffee, tea and red wine leave behind. The second is educational, and in the long run more valuable: half an hour with someone who can see exactly where your cleaning is missing and show you, with the right size of interdental brush in your own mouth, how to fix it. Wimpole Street will have GDC-registered hygienists working alongside the dentists from opening day, with a standard visit at £89 and a visit including Airflow stain removal at £142. This page explains what happens, who should come how often and what a hygienist can and cannot do.
- £89 standard visit
- £142 with Airflow
- About 30 minutes
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Anyone who has not had professional cleaning in the last six to twelve months.
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss, which is the earliest sign of gingivitis.
- Visible tartar, usually behind the lower front teeth or on the outer surfaces of the upper back teeth.
- Staining from tea, coffee, wine or smoking that toothpaste no longer shifts.
- Bad breath that persists despite good brushing.
- Patients with implants, veneers, bridges, aligners or fixed retainers, all of which need meticulous maintenance.
- Smokers, people with diabetes and anyone with a history of gum disease, who benefit from more frequent visits.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Diagnosed periodontitis with pockets of five millimetres or more; this needs anaesthetised root surface debridement rather than a standard hygiene visit.
- An acute dental infection or abscess, which should see a dentist first.
- Anyone expecting whitening; a polish removes surface stain but does not change the shade of the enamel itself.
- Airflow is avoided in people with certain respiratory conditions or on a sodium-restricted diet, where an alternative polish is used.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Gum check
The hygienist looks at the colour and contour of the gums, notes bleeding and probes for pockets. Anything suggesting disease that has reached the bone is flagged to the dentist for full charting.
- 02
Scaling
An ultrasonic scaler vibrates tartar off the teeth while a fine water spray washes it away. Hand instruments finish the job in tight spots and just below the gum margin.
- 03
Airflow, where chosen
A jet of warm water, air and a fine powder removes stain and the sticky bacterial film from surfaces a scaler and polish cannot reach, including around brackets, implants and under the gum edge.
- 04
Polishing
A soft rubber cup and paste smooth the enamel so plaque is slower to re-form and the teeth feel clean to the tongue.
- 05
Coaching
The part that changes outcomes. You are shown where plaque is being missed, fitted with interdental brushes of the correct sizes and taught a technique you can actually keep up.
- 06
Recall interval
Based on what was found, the hygienist recommends when to return: six months for most people, three or four for those with gum disease or heavy tartar.
Choices
Options & materials
Hygiene with Airflow
Everything in the standard visit plus warm-water Airflow stain and biofilm removal. Preferred by patients with heavy staining, aligners, implants or sensitive teeth.
£142
Airflow add-on
Airflow stain removal added to a hygiene visit already booked.
£53
Supportive periodontal care
Maintenance visits after periodontal therapy, every three months initially, focused on the pockets that were treated.
£89
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Hygiene appointment Scaling, polishing and coaching; about 30 minutes. | £89 |
Hygiene with Airflow Includes Airflow stain and biofilm removal. | £142 |
Airflow add-on Added to a standard visit. | £53 |
Fluoride varnish For sensitivity or high decay risk. | £40 |
Examination with the dentist Can be booked back-to-back; £30 for new patients. | £95 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
Teeth feel smooth and look brighter immediately, and stained surfaces return to their natural shade. Gums that were bleeding usually stop within a week or two of the visit provided the new cleaning routine is followed, and breath improves as the bacterial load drops.
The result is temporary by nature: plaque begins re-forming within hours and tartar within weeks, which is why the interval between visits and the quality of daily cleaning matter more than the appointment itself. A hygiene visit does not lighten the intrinsic colour of teeth, and it does not treat periodontitis that has reached the bone; both are separate treatments.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Expect some cold sensitivity for a day or two where tartar has been removed from exposed root; it settles.
- Avoid staining drinks for a few hours after polishing while the enamel surface is freshly cleaned.
- Use the interdental brushes you were fitted with once a day, ideally in the evening.
- Brush twice daily for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste, spitting rather than rinsing afterwards.
- Book the next visit before you leave at the interval the hygienist advised.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Temporary sensitivity to cold, particularly where gum has receded and root is exposed.
- Minor gum tenderness or slight bleeding for a day after scaling around inflamed areas.
- Airflow powder can irritate a chapped lip or the eyes if not shielded; protection is worn.
- A standard visit is not a treatment for periodontitis, and relying on it for deep pockets allows disease to progress.
- Very rarely, a small chip of a fragile filling edge during scaling, which is repaired.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Every six months suits most adults. If you have had gum disease, smoke, have diabetes or build tartar quickly, three or four months is more appropriate. The hygienist sets the interval from what they see.
Most people feel vibration and cold water rather than pain. Sensitive areas can be numbed with a topical gel, and Airflow uses warm water, which many find more comfortable than a traditional polish.
Hygienists are trained specifically in preventing and treating gum disease and spend the whole appointment on cleaning and coaching. Dentists diagnose and restore. At Wimpole Street they work side by side, and you can book both back-to-back.
It removes surface stain, so teeth look brighter, but it does not change the underlying shade. For that, dentist-prescribed whitening is a separate treatment.
Yes, for routine cleaning. The hygienist will refer you to a dentist if they find anything that needs diagnosis or treatment.
Yes. Hygiene visits are available now at South Kensington and St Paul’s at the same fees, and your recall can be moved to Marylebone from 1 October 2026.
Marylebone, W1
Dental hygienist at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
