Who said hygienist appointments were relaxing?

@Mukey thank you for your reply. That's helped. We do see different hygienists. I wonder whether I have the ultrasonic because my teeth are crooked at the bottom so maybe easier to use? But, given your explanation as to whether one is better than the other, I will ask for manual scaling for the bottom teeth at least. Thanks again. Sorry for derailing OP!

Do you both see the same hygienist? There's a few reasons why some people have the water (ultrasonic) and some people have manual hand scaling.
If you see different people it could just be operator preference. A lot of older trained hygienists were only trained with hand scalers as the ultrasonic wasn't around. I work with a woman who trained in the 80s. She will only ever use the ultrasonic in extreme cases. She does a excellent job with her hand scalers only as that's just how she was trained. I personally have no real preference. I enjoy the peace and quiet of hand scaling. But can see the benefits for some people of ultrasonic. If a patient has sensitive teeth I will happily hand scale though if they'd rather.
In some cases though when people have masses of tartar build up or staining if they want the job done quickly/more effectively then ultrasonic is the best way forward. If someone insists on hand scaling who has teeth totally covered in stuff then yes it can be done, but they may need to come back multiple times which then costs them more. It's often weighing up the pros and cons. As as others have mentioned there's also the option to be numbed up for scaling if required.
In your case, if it's only the bottom front that get very sensitive I'd ask if she can just only hand scale those at least. If it's a case the hygienist doesn't think she can get it all off in the appointment time slot she should let you know.
But I do think sometimes some hygienists just get so used to using the ultrasonic only that it's a default to be used even if it isn't essential. I will often just use it automatically unless a patient requests otherwise or I notice they seem to be very sensitive. So I think it's always worth asking.
Whether one is actually "better" than the other is up for debate. Everyone has an opinion. But studies generally show that if either option is done well, there is no difference in results. There are pros and cons on both. But both can achieve great results both cosmetically and regarding him disease treatment.
On a separate note, airflow treatment will not remove heavy tartar build up so this is not suitable for everyone as an alternative. It is best for soft plaque and staining.

Sorry that was longer than I thought!!

No one ever said they were relaxing 😬

Some people do 🤫

My hygienist has a thing called airflow that uses warm water to scale and clean teeth. It's a private dentist but worth every penny to not have to endure the horrible painful scraping.

Me! But I also enjoy an MRI 😀

400mg of Ibuprofen, taken 30 minutes beforehand, is your friend 😉.

I have that because of tooth crowding and not being able to reach some bits on the back of my bottom front teeth. Yes I imagine this is what water boarding must feel like but it’s quicker and I’m assuming more thorough than using the dental pic/scrapey thing.

I just suck it up and let my dentist get on with it.

@Namechangedforthis25 I will say that when I have this done the splashing of water on my face is like a low budget facial… maybe that’s what your hygienist meant 🤣💦

Oh and it always feels like they're going to yank my teeth out

Last time I went she said to the assistant "can you get me a hand held thingy?"
Assistant "no water?!"
Hygienist "absolutely not"

I can't tolerate it at all, it's painful and like nails on a chalkboard. She says she likes having the chance to do them manually for a change

I think the water jet thing’s quicker. My hygienist said rub neat sensodyne toothpaste onto inner lower front teeth beforehand.
Surely more bleeding is due to inflammation/bacteria? And pain is maybe more gum recession or sensitive teeth?
I absolutely hate going.

God, I love it.

Decent TV and headphones to drown out the machines. Always drugged up to the eyeballs on nitrous oxide as I am, so I've been told, the most sensitive person on the practice's list. I felt proud to be British🇬🇧

This is Melbourne.

Never mind the pain. The squealing noise from the machine is also torture

Can you explain why I have always had the water jet thing to get rid of the build up on my teeth whereas my DH always just has his scraped off?! I find the water jet causes horrendous sensitivity around my lower front teeth; it's like electricity being used and I feel like I get electric shocks.

One hygienist said people with a lot of amalgam fillings have more sensitive teeth? Is this true?

And can I ask for the manual removal or do I HAVE to have the water jet thing??

I had a new hygienist (for me) last week. I'm wondering whether there is a new training prgramme?

I'd had my usual check up a month previously (usually 0,1 and a couple of 2's on the gum test, which is normal), but she disagreed with that.

I had my first ever mouth injection, so she could clean my gums. I've been a patient there for 30+ years.

On the plus side, it didn't hurt!

Seven months ago, I went to the hygienist and it was painful as I had inflamed gums. There was some blood too.

But I went back yesterday and.....nothing. No pain or blood like before. Pretty enjoyable, actually! Different hygienist but exactly the same things were done.

And my gums have massively improved in-between visits!

It helps that I use a water flosser, interdental stick and electric toothbrush daily. It really does help improve gum health.

First visit was about 40 long mins. Second visit was much shorter - no more than 25-30mins.

The difference is obviously condition of teeth and gums.

So, several of you must have inflamed gums to be in quite a bit of pain.

Plus the way they give you such a bollocking that it feels like they aren’t actually your own teeth in your own body!

It's not especially relaxing but I love going, love the outcome, so much less frightening than the hairdresser!

I'm a hygienist and reading these posts makes me feel terrible but some are also very funny!!

Exactly. I have had 4 kids and the dental hygienist makes me want to cry!

This is what I used to get! I would never have left the bathroom if I followed her regime!!

The pain I can tolerate fairly well, it’s the telling off that made me feel about 5 years old😩

Its definitely a generational thing, the previous hygienist with her school headmistress approach retired and the new ones are lovely and encouraging😊
Amd I’m fairly old myself but I still don’t like being told off😳

What on earth are your hygienists doing to you? I've never had any pain at the hygienist. Our dental practice have about 5 hygienists all working part time and I've had my teeth cleaned by all of them over the years, some like using the water jet thing, others the old fashioned scraper tools. None hurt or make me bleed. Only last month, I'd had a busy day and said to DH as I was setting off to the dentist that I'm looking forward to lying down and just resting for half an hour whilst they do what they need to do with my teeth. Maybe if my gums were inflamed I would have pain but I can't imagine why there would be blood if there are no gum issues.

I find the air flow procedure so much better and relaxing . No pain and quite comfortable and love the feeling of my teeth / mouth after .
I feel lucky to have such a great dentist team.
Like another poster experienced even the root canal wasn't painful.

And to add to the torture I get a side order of lecturing and chastisement about how I should be using floss on some teeth, interdental brushes and a smaller toothbrush for my back teeth. I do use them but if I followed the regime she wanted me to I'd spend half an hour cleaning my teeth!