Most people who book a hygiene appointment are quietly bracing themselves for the scraping. The metal instruments, the scratching noise, the odd twinge when something catches near the gum. So when we explain that our hygienists now work with a warm spray of water, air and a very fine powder, the usual reaction is a slightly suspicious “what’s the catch?”
Fair question. Here is the honest version: what biofilm therapy is, how the EMS AIRFLOW equipment in our hygiene unit actually works, who it suits, where it stops, and what the research does and does not say. We would much rather you understood it properly than took our word for it.
What is biofilm, and why does it matter more than tartar?
Biofilm is the soft, sticky layer of bacteria that keeps re-forming on your teeth; in a €95 hygiene appointment at our Dublin practice, removing it comes first, and instruments are kept for hardened tartar.
Tartar (calculus) is plaque that has hardened onto the tooth, and it is what most people picture when they think of a hygienist’s job. But the soft layer is the living part. Good brushing and flossing remove a lot of it. What gets left behind sits where you cannot see it: along the gum line, between teeth, around the edges of crowns and fillings, and in any pockets where the gum has come away from the tooth.
That is why we think about a hygiene visit as biofilm first. A 2023 systematic review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine describes effective removal of biofilm below the gum as crucial to treating gum disease. Tartar still matters, and it still has to come off, but it is not the whole story.
How does EMS AIRFLOW actually work?
EMS AIRFLOW uses warm water, air and a fine powder to lift biofilm off the tooth and under the gum; our Dublin hygiene unit has 3 suites used only for hygiene.
The handpiece directs a spray of warm water, air and a very fine powder along the gum line and between the teeth. The spray lifts the biofilm and the water rinses it away, so your hygienist is not dragging an instrument across every surface of every tooth. Most people describe it as a warm spray rather than the scraping and scratching they had braced themselves for.
The powder we use is erythritol-based (more on whether that matters below). The equipment is one part of a guided, biofilm-first protocol, not a gadget added to an old-style clean. Your hygienist assesses your gums first, deals with the biofilm, uses instruments only where hardened tartar remains, and finishes with advice for home that is specific to your mouth.
You will see this approach described in different ways by different clinics. We call it what it is: biofilm therapy, carried out on EMS AIRFLOW equipment by our own hygiene team. Our hygienist services page covers everything else a hygiene appointment includes.
Is biofilm therapy better than a traditional scale and polish?
A 2023 systematic review of 55 papers called air polishing a promising alternative to hand and ultrasonic scalers for biofilm removal; in Dublin we use it alongside instruments, which still remove hardened tartar.
“Better” is the wrong word, and we would be wary of anyone who tells you it is. The authors of that review chose the phrase “promising alternative”, and that is exactly as far as the evidence goes. It is not proof that air polishing replaces scaling, and we do not use it that way.
Here is the part people rarely hear: air polishing does not remove hardened calculus. Nothing sprays tartar off a root surface. So if tartar has built up, your hygienist will still use an ultrasonic or hand instrument on those areas — just not on every surface of every tooth. The difference you are most likely to notice is how the appointment feels, and that matters, because the hygiene visit you do not dread is the one you actually keep.
Does the powder make a difference?
A 2025 network meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials and 462 patients found no statistically significant difference between erythritol, glycine and trehalose powders; we use erythritol, which ranked highest for pocket-depth reduction.
Not as much as the marketing suggests. That review, published in Frontiers in Physiology, compared the three powders used under the gum during non-surgical gum treatment and found no statistically significant difference between them for pocket depth, attachment level or bleeding. Erythritol came out top of the ranking for pocket-depth reduction, which is why it is what we use. The authors also point out that there were too few trials to test for publication bias, so treat the ranking as a hint rather than a verdict.
What we would take from it: be sceptical of any clinic that sells you on its powder. What you actually want is a hygienist who is thorough and consistent, and a recall interval that suits your gums.
Who does biofilm therapy suit?
Biofilm therapy is how our hygienists approach a routine €95 hygiene appointment in Dublin, and it tends to suit people who have avoided the hygienist because they dread the scraping.
It is particularly worth knowing about if you are one of these:
- People who have put off the hygienist for years. If that is you, tell us when you book. We can use topical numbing gel, take breaks whenever you want them, and local anaesthetic is €20 if you would like the area numbed.
- People with crowns, veneers or bonding. The edge where a restoration meets the tooth is exactly where biofilm collects and where brushing tends to miss. We explain why in our guide to looking after a crown, and healthy gums are part of what keeps composite bonding looking right for longer. Tell your hygienist what work you have had done so they can plan around it.
- Coffee and tea drinkers. Surface staining usually comes off as part of the clean. Discolouration inside the tooth does not — that is a whitening conversation, not a hygiene one. There is more on this in does coffee stain teeth?
- People whose gums bleed when they brush. That is worth having looked at rather than ignored, and the assessment at the start of the appointment tells us whether a routine clean is the right appointment at all. We have written about bleeding gums when you brush.
Please also tell us about any medical conditions and medications when you book, as you would for any dental appointment.
When is a routine hygiene appointment not enough?
If your gums have active disease, a routine clean is not enough; non-surgical periodontal therapy at our Dublin practice is €250 per hour-long session, planned after an assessment.
Biofilm therapy is a very good way to run a hygiene appointment. It is not a treatment for established gum disease on its own, and we will not pretend otherwise. There are two situations where we will tell you honestly that a standard hygiene visit is the wrong appointment:
- Active gum disease with deeper pockets. That is non-surgical periodontal therapy (often called a deep clean): careful, methodical work under the gum line that cannot be done properly in the time set aside for a routine clean. It is €250 per session, and each session is a full hour. We cannot tell you at the first visit how many sessions your gums will need, so we assess first and plan it with you. Our guide to deep cleaning costs in Dublin explains the fee and why it is staged.
- Gum problems that need more than non-surgical care. If your gums need treatment beyond what we provide, we will tell you, explain why, and arrange a referral. The Institute of Specialist and Cosmetic Dentistry has a detailed guide to how gum disease is treated at each stage.
What happens at the appointment, and what does it cost?
A hygiene appointment at Docklands Dental in Dublin is €95, with local anaesthetic €20 if you want it; there is no separate AIRFLOW charge on our price list.
Here is what the appointment involves:
- Assessment. Your hygienist checks your gums, measures any pockets around the teeth, and looks at how things have changed since your last visit.
- Biofilm removal. The EMS AIRFLOW spray lifts the biofilm along the gum line and between the teeth.
- Tartar, where there is any. Ultrasonic or hand instruments on the areas that need them.
- Advice for home. Where you are missing when you brush, and which tools actually suit your mouth.
Straight from our price list:
- Hygiene appointment — €95
- Local anaesthetic, if you want it — €20
- Dental examination — €80 (child’s exam — €55)
- Small X-ray, only if one is needed — €30
- Non-surgical periodontal therapy (deep cleaning) — €250 per hour-long session
The price is the price, and you will know it before you sit down. For most people we recommend a hygiene visit every six months; if you have gum disease or tend to build up tartar, we may suggest every three to four months. We will not tell you regular hygiene saves you money — what it is for is keeping your own teeth healthy for longer.
Your hygienist will be Liz, Catherine, Lynn or Aaron — you can meet the team. Our dedicated hygiene unit is in the same building as the practice on Forbes Street, and our directions page covers the DART, Luas, bus and parking.
Come in and see how it feels
Whether it has been six months or six years, we would love to see you. If the scraping is what has kept you away, tell us that when you ring — it is one of the most common things we hear, and it is exactly what this way of working is for. No pressure, no hard sell, just a conversation about your gums and what they need.
Docklands Dental
1 Forbes Street, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, D02 FN53
Phone: 01 636 0192
Email: hello@docklandsdental.ie
Book online: docklandsdental.portal.dental
Written by Dr. Gregg Barry, BDS (UCC, 2008), Docklands Dental, 1 Forbes Street, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, D02 FN53. Published 15 September 2026.
