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Dental hygienist

(84 Posts)
BigBertha1 Wed 29-Jun-22 22:08:49

My regular session with the hygienist today was £85 ( with 10%)
discount as I have a plan with the practice). I was appalled and said so. I was told it was because they had a new air flow machine. Was I wrong to be shocked?

joysutty Thu 30-Jun-22 16:57:55

CAT4 - ARE YOU THEN NOT ON ANY "PAID PLAN" BUT PAY THIS HIGH AMOUNT BECAUSE YOU ARE AN NHS PATIENT - CONFUSED AS U DIDNT MENTION.

YES, SO TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE - IT SEEMS TO BE WHICHEVER WAY WE LOOK AT THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS/PLANS THAT ARE IN PLACE ON CHOICES.

joysutty Thu 30-Jun-22 16:54:24

This sounds ridiculous as SURELY it was the practice's DECISION to buy in this item. But, myself at time of the first lockdown I didnt get an appointment given to see a dentist at my practice due to my regular dentist had sadly retired (which I wasn't told about - which annoyed me) for 12 months and yes, I pay into a plan but was told NOW as being moved to another dentist within the practice my plan will only covered me for ONE check-up + ONE hygienist, as previously I always had 2 a year for FREE. So in a way didnt have a choice but to "up" it so pay extra £6 a month now which gives me to include 2 of each a year. I also get 20% off any treatments.

I WOULD DEFINATELY PHONE UP TO ASK AND IF THEY DONT BACK DOWN THEN SAY YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO BEING AN "NHS PATIENT" - WHICH MY HUSBAND IS WITH ANOTHER DENTIST NOT MINE. HE REFUSES TO PAY FOR ANY PLAN.

AS WE ALL MORE SO THAN EVER BEFORE HAVE OUR OWN FINANCES TO WORK WITH.

MrsKen33 Thu 30-Jun-22 16:38:21

Living in Wales NHS dentists are like hen’s teeth .

WMum01 Thu 30-Jun-22 15:16:48

I think the equally relevant point is, can you find one ?‍♀️

MrsKen33 Thu 30-Jun-22 15:15:28

Deep clean with hygienist (SW Wales) £50 for a hour . Actually it was 70 mins.

Shirls52000 Thu 30-Jun-22 15:04:28

Beautiful
I’m also with Denplan and have been since my dentist went private over 25 years ago. I pay £37 per month which covers check ups, fillings, x rays and hygienist, I only pay for lab fees, crowns etc which I get at a reduced rate. It paid for itself during Covid as I have had a total of 16 appts in the last 2 1and a half years as everything seemed to go wrong just after we locked down. I had root canal work, a tooth extraction, temporary filling and crown plus 2 hygienist appts out of that I only paid lab fees and for the crown

Cat4 Thu 30-Jun-22 14:54:26

My dental hygienist charges £160 for an hour. If it is decided a 30 minute appointment is required that is £85. They want you to attend twice a year and visit the expensive dentist in between visits.

kittylester Thu 30-Jun-22 14:26:11

They might not have been offered a contract.

Seabreeze Thu 30-Jun-22 14:24:52

Beware ladies. My dentist was nhs, recently I was informed they are no longer taking nhs patients ! They offered a plan but it is nowhere near as reasonable as the ones other ladies have mentioned. I find it hard to swallow that they can just decide to stop seeing patients on an nhs basis. I think everyone should have the right as with Doctors and hospitals to be seen as an nhs patient. Does anyone agree ?.

BigBertha1 Thu 30-Jun-22 13:56:21

Forgive me VANECAM I thought you were instructing me to 'grin and bear it' and not 'quibble'. My mistake .. or perhaps your syntax.

nadateturbe Thu 30-Jun-22 13:50:50

Usernametaken lucky you My plan is £19 and I only get 10-15% off.

LovelyLady Thu 30-Jun-22 13:36:07

3fillings £800 and 3 separate appointments.
Robbed I was. Dentist had been NHS and I went regularly. He then then closed for NHS patients - except for children and benefit patients. He’s now closed this surgery and moved to a nearby town.
Ok we all need to make a living but £800 was a months work for me.

GrammaH Thu 30-Jun-22 13:33:02

My dental practice is a private one, I've looked in vain for an NHS one but none in our area are taking new patients. I've been with this practice since I was about 5 and I'm 63 now. They have certainly changed with the times and I'm assured by my dentist niece that they're absolutely state of the art. You can see where this is going....they don't do plans. A routine trip to the hygienist is around £70, then she likes to do an annual deep clean for which I get an estimate of the charge beforehand - it's around £130 and involves 2 people working. It is ridiculous I know but I do have gum issues which I don't seem to be able to keep on top of. I have 2 cheaper visits & 1 stinger annually plus an annual trip to "Call me Will" the dentist who looks about 12. That's about £65 for 5 minutes as although my gums aren't great, my teeth are very strong & I have no fillings. Of course, these prices & the treatments involved have all changed since everything shut down for covid.

Disgruntled Thu 30-Jun-22 13:30:49

PS and I've never seen a hygienist.

Disgruntled Thu 30-Jun-22 13:29:32

I use an ancient Ayurvedic technique call oil pulling. You take a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil and swish it around your mouth for a few minutes. The first attempt will probably be aborted after one second because it does taste awful, but I advise you to think of something else, do your emails or something because the benefits are great. The oil collects the bacteria, so then you spit it into the bin. I always brush my teeth, very quickly, and fleetingly after that, to take the taste away. But my dentist noticed the improvement and I've not had a single filling since I started doing it, years ago. I used to have awful gum problems, but not any more. Just don't listen to or watch anything funny while you're doing it.

Magz57 Thu 30-Jun-22 13:28:58

I think the way that’s been put across is the issue. They won’t have put up price because they bought a new airflow - more likely it’s costing more because the hygienist/therapist has used the airflow to do a much better job than hand scale will ever do. Oral hygiene is absolutely paramount as it’s very difficult to place a good stable filling/denture etc with poor hygiene. The actual health issues that can arise with poor hygiene is actually very worrying let alone the effect it has on the bone density and gums. A dentist who provides NHS care actually gets paid very little for hygiene appointments from the health boards (at least in Scotland - can’t speak for England wales or NI) and hygienists/therapists have to be paid from the principle dentist - whether as an employee or a self-employed associate. Honestly people - spending money on hygiene appointments is the best money you will spend in the dental practice. ?

VANECAM Thu 30-Jun-22 13:28:27

BigBertha1

Quibble VANECAM??? I thought I was asking if I was wrong to be shocked not if I was allowed to 'quibble'. The cost had risen by over £30 in three months - hardly a 'quibble'.

How and why you have managed to take ownership of my words I have no idea.

Your desire to be offended where no offence exists is self inflicted.

For clarity, I was describing my position - not yours.

kittylester Thu 30-Jun-22 13:21:29

Sue500

I went to the dentist recently as she said to see the hygienist cost would be £75 to be paid in advance! That’s on NHS.
I didn’t bother.

That is a private hygienist.

karmalady Thu 30-Jun-22 13:17:12

my private hygienist does a superb job and helped me learn properly what to do, to enable me to keep my teeth to old age and to avoid decay and gum disease. Worth every penny for her training and expertise, gained through years of experience and much training

Caleo Thu 30-Jun-22 13:10:16

Is the gumline at all self-cleaning? (She asked hopefully)

Usernametaken Thu 30-Jun-22 13:10:06

I pay £14 a month to a dental plan which gives me two check ups and two hygienist appointments a year.
Also 50% off any work that needs doing, which touch wood hasn’t been needed the past four years.
Wouldn’t want to not be able to visit the Dentist, hate the thought of false teeth. ?

nadateturbe Thu 30-Jun-22 13:05:38

A dental plan doesn't cover all your costs. It just provides free hygienist and checks. It only reduces treatment costs a little.
I think they are very expensive.
Also if something isn't satisfactory there is little you can do. My private dentist made a denture for two teeth costing nearly £500 which doesn't fit. Very little I can do about it.
On balance I prefer NHS.
To answer the OP query, yes it's quite a rise.

Treetops05 Thu 30-Jun-22 12:58:00

I have ignored my teeth for years, as I am absolutely terrified of Dentists,, due to an accident aged 9. My face became so painful I simply had to go...and fully private too. I had an infection, so antibiotics, 2 wisdom teeth extracted, and 4-6 fillings, then poor antibiotics. I could have bought a 2nd hand car at the cost, but had no choice, living in a small, rural town with no true choice. Hygienist will be extra and as they only have one, I will be waiting another 6+ months for that appointment.

Dcba Thu 30-Jun-22 12:55:26

I went to the hygienist just yesterday….I go twice a year…..and my bill for a one hour appointment was $170 Canadian dollars that converts to about £107 …..so I think your bill of £85 wasn’t overly expensive for the service ……unless you felt she didn’t do a good job.

Sue500 Thu 30-Jun-22 12:45:02

I went to the dentist recently as she said to see the hygienist cost would be £75 to be paid in advance! That’s on NHS.
I didn’t bother.