to think this much dental treatment is unnecessary?

But a dentist does not deal with gum disease. They remove plaque and tartar and any factors helping it to form but it will start to reform within 24 hours unless cleaning is absolutely tip top. The dental team provides a base for the patient to control their gum disease. Even then if a patient has deep pockets then they may very well not be able to clean effectively to the bottom of the pockets and hence 3 monthly or even 6 weekly appointments may be necessary.

About 40% of thirty year olds have gum disease and as you get older the likelyhood of you having gum disease increases so that by the time you are 60 you have a 60% chance of having gum disease.

Gum disease is never cured it is only ever kept under control. https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/gingivitis-periodontitis/background-information/prevalence/

Was OP in the surgery with their partner when the partner has had appointments ? Does OP know their partners plaque scores, bleeding scores , pocket depths ? Has OP seen their partners x rays for bone depth? Is OP aware of all their partners medical history that may make them more susceptible to gum disease or make the consequences of gum disease worse?

The partner wants the appointments , presumably for good reason and has been educated by their hygienist/dentist . Their partner is in charge of their own body and the choices that affect their own health. The OPs partner has made a health choice , based on what they have been told by their health professional and based on what they experience in their own mouth. OP wants them to change that health decision on a monetary basis only .

3 monthly appointments are normally only given if you have active gum disease or you have a history of gum disease and are in the early days of stabilisation. The plaque scores, bleeding scores , pocket depths, bone loss , medical history , dental history will dictate how often or even if at all someone will need to see the hygienist .

Lol, the OP says he doesn't have gum disease, that's why I didn't mention it

Sounds like they’re a bit grabby to me. Similar example I had dental check up 6 months ago, was told to book a hygienist appointment for scale polish etc due to ‘lots of staining and build up’ (there wasn’t). I subsequently cancelled the hygienist appointment and when I had my last check up a week ago, he said teeth look great hygienist did a great job……….I said good to hear, as I didn’t see them and that is just my normal cleaning regimen.

He shut up pretty quickly…..

Fluoride stops tooth decay , it does nothing for gum disease .

More than 40% of adults in the U.K. have gum disease and the older you get the more common it becomes https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/gum-disease-by-the-numbers#:~:text=More%20than%2042%25%20of%20all,8%25%20have%20severe%20periodontal%20disease.

Gum disease not tooth decay is the number one reason for tooth loss in the U.K. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mouth/gum-disease/#:~:text=Gum%20disease%20is%20a%20very,teeth%2C%20but%20it%20is%20preventable.

It is associated with many other diseases from coronary disease, to diabetes , to miscarriages etc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodontal_disease

It is never cured, only kept under control and that control is 90% in the patients hands and 10% in the dental teams, ie if the patient is unable to clean effectively under the gum , plaque at rafts to build up immediately and tartar starts to form within 24 hours .

Gum disease is painless and most people will not notice anything wrong until teeth start to become loose or fall out.

In the U.K. failure to diagnose or treat gum disease (periodontal disease) is the number one reason to Sue a dentist and U.K. dentists are sued more often than anywhere else in the world. https://dentistry.co.uk/2019/05/15/top-five-reasons-dental-claims-periodontal-disease/

In Oz we don't have public dentists (there are schemes for low income earners and their children etc but it's all serviced by private practice) except a handful of hospital clinics across the entire country.
The recommendation is to see the dentist every 6months. I take my kids that frequently but I go once per year. Never seen a 'hygenist'. My teeth are fine. X-rays every two years. Scale and clean every visit. I've never heard of anyone needing a cleaning plan!
We have fluorinated water here tho, that probably helps with overall tooth health, but we still need to brush twice a day and floss, gargle etc. Avoid sugary, sticky foods, blah blah. Eat healthier and so on.
You can get fluoride in Tooth Mousse, maybe he could give that a go if you're concerned. But 3monthly visits sound OTT

I lost two teeth after seeing a private dentist at a Smile centre. Totally down to their poor treatment.
I now have an absolutely brilliant NHS dentists who has advanced qualifications which means she can do all kinds of surgery. She helped me save a tooth that was in a worse state than the two I had pulled by the private dentist.

You are being taken for a mug. And gum disease can resolve.

Can you afford it? Is it putting pressure on finances? If you can afford it then leave him do what he likes with his teeth.

if however, there are other things you need to prioritise then he does need to stop spending money at the dentists

Well, I may only be 35. but I've never had a filling or any tooth decay, and have seen a dentist once in the last 20 years, so I'm not overly worried about getting them "scaled". My brother and his wife are both dentists and make dark noises about my poor choices in life.

I’ve still got 30 teeth - two wisdom teeth extracted - which is almost unheard of at 71. No fillings for 20 years. I’ve also got raging gum disease and build up calculus very easily. I have my teeth scaled every three months because they need it on top of cleaning with an electric toothbrush and daily flossing. If your dentist recommends scaling get it done, it’s an investment.

Does he get to decide what personal care of yours is taking the piss ?

Unless that’s a yes, I suggest you go back to your box.

Gum disease is an inflammatory disease that, increasingly, research has shown is linked to heart disease, strokes , miscarriage , pre eclampsia , fertility, vascular disease etc . Gum disease increases the severity of diabetes and visa versa

Preventative treatment not only secures your oral health but has a protective effect on the rest of your health , the benefits of which are becoming increasingly obvious . https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2019/march/gum-disease-and-heart-disease

50% of all people over the age of 30 have gum disease. In the U.K. it’s the number cause of tooth loss. Undiagnosed gum disease is the number one reason for dentists to be sued . That alone would indicate that it’s not a moneymaking scam .
https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/gum-disease-by-the-numbers

I wonder is it all money grabbing.. I go to one in Dublin she wanted me to see a gum specialist. More money. Her colleague looked at my teeth and said just keep on top of the brushing. !

I saw a dentist whilst I was pregnant, because it was free. The dentist said I needed my teeth professionally cleaned by the hygienist for £60. I didn't, and haven't seen a dentist in the 5 years since. Still have the same number of teeth.

Indeed. I would’ve spent far less on my teeth if I’d seen a private dentist all along

The thing I take issue with, is that every time I see a different hygienist, at the same practice, I’m told something different and advised to buy a different product. Which is why I have practically every colour of interdental brush, plaque disclosing tablets, floss, mouthwash etc, that’s on the market. I’ve been using the practice for four years and have seen five different hygienists in that time.

My gums don’t bleed, even when prodded by the hygienist. I also believe, and was told by a dentist, that quite a lot of oral health is genetic, so no matter how hard you try, if you’re disposed towards dental problems, you can only alleviate. Both my parents had problems.

I go to the hygienist every three months as I have an implant and you need extra care to keep them healthy.

Actually, at least where I am, NHS does not treat gum disease. I was told to go private

The point about private care is that is also provides preventative care as well. NHS just treats disease.

This. I've had a lot of problems with my teeth/gums and seeing NHS dentists didn't help. Yes it's very expensive but I get so much better care from my private dentist. I wish I'd started using them years ago as sadly some issues are irreversible at this point. I would advise anyone to go private if they can afford it.

I go to the hygenist every three months. I am though an absolute plaque machine, I’ve really got to keep on top of it. My body is excellent at creating plaque and was excellent producing milk, I do wonder if the two are related.

Do you know what your plaque, gum and bleeding scores are?

The majority of patients at our practice were on 6 month hygienist , a small minority never had to go , a small minority once a year , a good proportion 3 months and those with very active disease every 6 weeks.

Some people tooth on board what was said by hygienist and dentist and graduated from 6 weeks to 6 month visits . However we would not have left someone who had had gum problems longer than 6 months because things can relapse very quickly.

The problem with gum disease is it often gives no pain or symptoms until a lot of damage has been done , so an early pick up of problems saves alot of grief further down the line when you might have no choice but to lose teeth.