Who said hygienist appointments were relaxing?

It is relaxing if torture is your thing.

I had mine cleaned on Tuesday and it was fine. Definitely not relaxing but I always opt just for cleaning with the manual tools instead of the water jet. I am a nervous patient and used to not visit the dentist or hygienist for years at a time. Which made it feel like I'd been repeatedly punched in the mouth after cleaning and loads of blood! It was basically 7 years of grime in my mouth at that point (used to brush twice a day but no using interdental brushes between the teeth daily).

A good dentist (very understanding and find him calming) and much better dental hygiene routine at home means I don't dread visiting the dentist anymore!

Not sure if I’ve been lucky or you’re all wusses 😆 I’ve never found it painful, and I have the high water pressure thingy and manual scraping.

I don’t love it but do love the clean feeling afterwards.

I refused to go after she damaged a filling. It's too painful as well. My dental hygiene is excellent. I don't need some sadist in my mouth inflicting pain and damage just because it's the done thing. It's actually quite empowering to refuse and watch the receptionist's shocked faces.

😂😂😂

Who said that?

They’re torturous!!

That water thing is from hell. Ice cold water shot at your gums with the force of a pressure washer. The scraping was much gentler.

Gosh, are these all British hygienists? I'm in the States and my scruffy, irregular (British) teeth get a good scraping and polishing along with some cleaning in the interdental spaces every 6 months. It's a bit painful at times but not like the sustained agony and sadistic brutalization I'm reading about here! One exits with a very slightly twinging mouth and an air of great virtue! (And my hygienist is courteous, kind, and goes out of her way to make it a not too unpleasant experience.)

The hygienist does seem relaxing once you’ve been to the periodontist… now that is real torture!

I go every year - I find it no problem - it doesn't hurt - I like the feeling of my teeth afterwards - only the paying hurts!

This is timely for me! I went yesterday. My husband said his was relaxing and he almost fell asleep!

agree with others; mine really hurt at points!

I enjoy the hygienist - love all the scraping, pulling and picking. Love the polishing. I don't have spa treatments at all, just not into it but I enjoy going to the hygienist. Go twice yearly as per my dental plan.

Shuddering here at the memory of last week's appointment. It was supposed you be just check up at nEw dentist but he did the hygiene too. Jesus wept. It was horrendous. I felt ill afterwards. So so much blood and o was almost crying but held strong with my group of steel on the chair arms. Vile

Lofe long nĥs pareint here, what do they actually do, I've never seen one.
Although the dentist I saw about 2 years ago was so brutal I got up and left, she had previously decided to rid me of tatar below the gum line which took several weeks to stop hurting and it's left me with less gums. Is it that kind of thing? And when she did xrays I would have blood in my mouth because of the ways she shoved the plates in.

I come out ffeeling like I have been stuck in a spin cycle of a washing machine.

I have organised my smear tests for afterwards as they are more pleasant than it

Though worse part is the feeling I can't swallow so we have agreed a break every 30 seconds so I can swallow. I raise my hand to say BREAK. Makes it tolerable.

My hygienist talks to me and then doesn't understand why I haven't answered. I just want to zone out and focus on a spot on the ceiling.

My husband loves it. He likes the scraping. I do not.

Diggy

Mine pulled a bloody filling out with thar doggy poky thing. So another bloody trauma awaits with a new filling. I fucking hate going to the dentist.

Telling you to relax doesn’t mean telling you it’s about to be relaxing. I’d tell someone to relax if I was about to tourniquet their arm and cut it off with nail scissors.

I'm putting off going back to my hygienist. It's like dentistry has gone back to the dark ages - using harsh manual metal scraping tools. When the dentists used to do the cleaning it was OK, just like sophisticated electric toothbrushes.

She can tell you to relax, doesn’t mean it’s possible!

Mine does a deep clean with water thingy….I can’t tolerate it without numbing injections so I have left side done with 8 injections ( 4 at top and 4 at bottom)….then go back a week later and have right side done ( repeat of left) ….I’m nhs so I pay around £73? ( band 2 ) every 6 months which includes these 2 appointments and a previous check up appt( and X-rays every 18 months) …..I dread it

Relaxing…..said nobody ever

This. I'm dental phobic, and dragged my ass back after a 30 year gap.

I asked for the most gentle hygienist and I got the fucking butcher. She HURT me repeatedly and said I must have particularly sensitive gums because after she poked around in my mouth roughly they bled 🙄 No kidding, a friend who isn't phobic said they complained about how rough she had been to their (and my) dentist and he said "oh yes she can be" so thanks a fucking bunch to my dentist who sees me cry every time for sending me to her 🙄

I had two fillings this year - the thing I was most worried about. Turns out that having two fillings in one session is a positively plesant experience after hygiene butchery.

I've just had a reminder letter come though that it's time for my next appointments 🥴