Dental Hygeniests

A scale and polish is free under the NHS cost to me £20 but if you have staining the dentist will not clean this off you need to see a Hygienist.
Unless you ask for a S&P they don't do it, I always ask.
The cost to see the Hygienist is now over £50 and I refuse to pay it.
If you regularly see the Hygienist you can see her for 15 min otherwise you have to pay £50.

Hygienist appointments are a necessary evil to prevent gum disease as we get older. I use an electric toothbrush and also clean between my teeth but still need twice yearly appointments at a cost of £45 a time. They are painful and I need injections to numb my mouth as my teeth are very sensitive. If it prevents teeth falling out then it’s well worth it.

Dentists(NHS) are time poor and don’t have time to do a thorough scale and polish that’s why hygienists are included on the NHS Dental tariff.

Caledonai14 believe Hygienists are not sadistic (smile) they are doing their job at saving teeth and the more you leave it the more painful it will be to start with. As I go regularly there is no pain now.

My hygienist saved my gums and my teeth. If you can't afford an hygienist, recommended at least once a year, Boots sell the TePe brushes to use once a day to dislodge plaque between the teeth. They come in different colours, depending on the gap between your teeth. They are very good to remove plaque but they do not replace a visit to the hygienist.

Sorry, two references, should read www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332423-100-even-if-bacteria-do-cause-heart-disease-diet-and-exercise-are-vital]]/

www.newscientist.com/article/2191842-gum-disease-may-be-the-cause-of-alzheimers-heres-how-to-avoid-it/

Why should you see the hygenist. This why www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332423-100-even-if-bacteria-do-cause-heart-disease-diet-and-exercise-are-vital/ www.newscientist.com/article/2191842-gum-disease-may-be-the-cause-of-alzheimers-heres-how-to-avoid-it/

Read both. Unfortunately New Scientist has a pay wall but you will get enough from these two articles to understand why you need to see the hygenist.

I have read both articles as we get the New Scientist, paper copy, unfortunately DD now as them, but as soon as I read the second article I made a hygenist's appointment. I hadn't been to her for over a year.

I have a Denplan and pay about £15 a month which gives me two dental check-ups and two hygienists visits each year.

The hygienist visit is always booked for the half hour prior to the dental check-up. Our hygienist is absolutely lovely and I can't say I have ever suffered whilst in her hands.

If you are prone to plaque build up on the backs of your teeth then it is definitely worthwhile getting it off as it will eventually cause problems.

Different dentists use different techniques. I'd rather go for techniques that are effective but at the same time do not inflict a lot of damage. Some of the most effective methods for treating gum disease here.

I recently found a NHS dentist, like gold dust in my area, after paying £700 for some root canal treatment, which was necessary but didn't resolve the problem. The NHS dentist I've found is marvellous and she does do a cursory scale and polish herself they don't employ a dedicated hygienist at the practice. Having said that I would consider going back to the private practice I used to go to and pay for the thorough clean up with the hygienist in that practice. My husband tells me she charges an eye watering £55 now but her technique is far less brutal than the previous one we went to. I think it's quite important to have the scale cleaned off teeth a couple of times a year, I've heard plaque can enter the bloodstream and deposit on arteries if it's allowed to build up.

I am 74 and use an ordinary toothbrush but always use mouthwash after each brushing and my teeth and gums are in good condition (although over-filled).

My NHS dentist comments every time I go for a check up how healthy my gums are so I think the mouthwash is the answer. She has me on a 9-month check-up rather than 6 monthly too as I rarely need anything doing.

Hygienists are not sadistic nor are they becoming more so, caledonail - what a ridiculous thing to say. They are doing their job.

If you are an NHS patient and need a scale and polish, it should be part of your Band 1 treatment and therefore free if you are exempt from paying.

I'm not changing my dentist. She's excellent and the whole family have been going to her for years. The hygienist is a relatively new phenomenon. My Denplan contributions are at the lowest level as I've been lucky enough to have inherited good teeth. I consider £8 a month to be money well spent and don't object to paying for the hygienist once a year. Compared to the hairdresser, for example, it's a bargain. I just don't like the hygienist on a personal level.

Well I commented on this yesterday and my comment has disappeared!!!
I have an NHS dentist and the clean scale and polish is all part of your annual or six monthly check up and now cost £21 it was £18 then £19

You are being ripped off and your dentist is sending you to a separate hygienist at your practice which is obviously private . This happened to my friend I to,d her she changed to my dental practise and was much happier

You are paying for private hygiene treatment change dentist or complain

I was advised by my sister and a good friend that hygienists are becoming more sadistic so when the dentist suggested I needed a session I refused as I've always had weeks of pain after a simple scale and polish. The dentist said I could have a numbing injection, but as the last couple for fillings don't seem to work very well, I've decided not to go to the hygienist. They also seem to have a very high turnover of hygienists at my surgery.
Passive aggressive comments to the nurse are completely unacceptable, as are raised eyebrows between dentist and nurse, when they think you can't see.

I’m on a payment plan too - no chance of an NHS dentist here. When our practice changed hands recently they appointed a full time hygienist, and you’ve to have 20 minutes or so with her before seeing the dentist for your 6 monthly check up. At the same time the terms of the payment plan changed, and though the cost didn’t change, the “benefits” did, and not in a good way!

Franbern
My friend is on pension credit and has this done for free every 6 months.

I've just been to NHS dentist and hygienist in the last week, I think I paid a total of about £14.

I think there’s someone on here who used to be a dentist - anyone know? I’d trust her advice on this.

I'm on Denplan and don't have to pay for any hygienists visits. I tell the hygienist that I only want a hand scale so don't have the ultra sonic, screech thingy.

I'm on Denplan too. The dentist told me that I seem to make lots of plaque and need to see the hygienist twice a year. I only have to pay for one visit though.
DH and DD go to the same dentist but they don't have to see the horrible hygienist!
I really hate going and she knows it. Lots of passive aggressive comments to the nurse etc. However, I know I have to do whatever is best for my teeth. I have an electric toothbrush and also floss.

My teeth attract calculus . My Dentist just does the scale and polish at my appointment, he doesn't send me off to a hygeinist. This reminds me, I am well overdue for my check up. I must make an appointment.

And floss.....

We have an nhs dentist and she does the clean which is included in the 6 month check up nhs rate of about £18. Its probably a good idea to have them done especially if like me, you have gum trouble. Always use an electric toothbrush, they do a much better job.

I see ‘the torturer’ every 6 months and it costs me £31 for the privilege! I do floss and use an electric toothbrush but I also drink strong black tea (no sugar), my teeth do tend to stain a little by the time my six months are up!

I have Denplan for dental care so I'm not familiar with the NHS system but I think I'd be asking more questions before paying out.

Why are you suddenly needing all this hygienist treatment? It sounds as though you're a regular attender at the dentist so I would have expected them to pick up a problem before it got so serious.

Do you floss regularly and use an electric toothbrush? We've found that we need much less attention from the hygienist since using an electric brush and flossing. That makes me v happy as I swear hygienists are the devil's henchmen! (With apologies to any dental hygienists out there! )