NHS dentist - does yours scale & polish?

[Starrydream]

At a standard check-up appointment does your NHS dentist scale & polish your teeth?

According to the NHS website this is included in Band 1 treatment (£25.80), but my dentist literally checks my teeth for cavities and that’s it. He done absolutely nothing else whatsoever for the past 9 years.

I have always been told to see the hygienist if I want to but their price has gone from £45 pre-Covid to £87. This is for a 30-minute appointment but I am in/out in 8-10 mins as I only ever have superficial staining (from too much tea) on 3 front teeth, and a tiny bit of plaque sometimes.

It’s got me thinking following a conversation with two people today who say their dentist has always scraped and cleaned their teeth during a standard Band 1 appointment and they never see a hygienist (they have lovely white, clean-looking teeth too).

What are other people’s experiences please?

What's a NHS dentist.....??? Can't get registered within 50 miles

My NHS dentist dies a scale and polish as part of the routine basic check up.

Mine always did pre-COVID but last time I went he said anything beyond a very quick job would now need to be referred to the hygienist. I have a fixed metal brace behind my front teeth so it always needs a quick clean as it attracts plaque that a toothbrush can’t reach. He said it’d probably benefit me to see the hygienist anyway as they’ll do a thorough job of it. I don’t mind paying £60 as I know others are paying a lot more for private check ups etc.

I think my dentist is a money maker as hygienist is next door linked. Last time i went hygienist she did about 3 scrapes and that was it...£90. she actually said theres very minimal tartar. Tbh i could have done it at home with my dental picker. So dentist sent me to hygienist when it wasn't really needed.

Love my dentist, hope he doesn't move away from the practice like all the rest seem to do. I get a scale and polish which I am thankful for because I wouldn't go to a hygienist as I hate going to the dentist as it is (but go so i don't get issues with my teeth) and he is very patient with me.

Mine used to, and doesn't now. It pisses me right off because my while my teeth are quite good, I do have gum disease. So there is definitely a clinical necessity there. I did point this out to them via email, which they dealt with by completely ignoring me 😡. And now they haven't seen us for years anyway due to all their dentists leaving after Brexit (they were nearly all Polish), so it's a moot point.

I've been with mine since 2014, I think it's one of the last practices in my town that hasn't gone private (YET)

Mine used to do it pre-covid, but since then you now have to go for a check up, then once you've done that you are allowed to book what used to be a scale and polish but is now just a quick scale (appts usually 6 months ahead). I had it done a few weeks ago and it was pretty minimal compared to what they used to do, I was there about 10 mins whilst they did the scale bit but you don't get the polish with the sticky sweet stuff and the brush any more. It's £64 if you want to pay for the full thing.