Hygienist given me a heart attack this morning …

[EvangelicalAboutButteredToast]

I go every four months. Last time I went my score were all zero and a few ones. Today he tells me they are three in some places and he is talking about bone loss and I assume periodontal disease. Can that really happen in four months?

I have been eating a lot of crap over the last few months and not sticking to my usually very scrupulous routine. So we accepted that I’d had a torrid old time with stress and a lack of self care which could explain the inflammation. Obviously I’m going to cut out the crap and go back to my careful routine. The other stuff just freaked me out though.

I have had an X-ray done recently at another dentist and they looked at it and said everything looked fine. I have asked that the x-ray is sent across but I’m left wondering if I need to book to see a periodontist.

anyone had similar?

You poor sausage! I really hope it's not so dramatic as that. I go every 3 months and when I had a dental check-up recently I was blindsided when he told me I had gum disease! I'd only been to the hygienist 6 weeks previously and everything had been normal then. I went back to her in a panic. She said it was gingivitis and told me to use peroxyl mouthwash for a few days and use a firmer toothbrush head. I'm going back next month so we shall see! Like you though, I'm scared it's something more. It's really upsetting to have such a lightning bolt from a clear sky!

Oh I’d be interested to see how your next appointment goes.

i wouldnt say I have the classic risk factors associated with periodontal disease although I know just being a woman of a certain age is a big one all by itself. I’m on HRT, don’t drink or smoke (or vape) but had been eating a lot more biscuits and chocolate recently. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Sounds a bit drastic. I’m 54 and haven’t seen a hygienist in years. Recently had a dental check up and no issues. I do find that there is a lot of upselling these days. He recommended whitening to me!! My teeth are pretty white so thought he was trying it on as I wasn’t making him any money( NHS) but then he recommended it to my 21 yr old DD who has very white teeth! Definitely upselling. Maybe get a second opinion

Do your gums bleed when you brush and floss? Do you use an electric toothbrush twice a day?

I would just make sure you are going back to doing everything you can
I floss and use interdental brushes dipped in peroxyl mouthwash or toothpaste, prescription toothpaste and don’t rinse

I use a Sonicare toothbrush. Floss in the evenings alongside using a waterpik. I dont drink fizzy drinks and only have a window of eating between about 2pm and 9pm latest. I don’t snack but sugar has definitely crept in recently. I haven’t been great at using the interdental brushes so I can definitely do that.

If you are worried maybe book in to see the dentist.
The hygienist is the hygienist after all not the dentist.
I had the same thing with the hygienist stressing me out while the actual dentist said everything was fine.
Sometimes I think they just scare us into booking another (expensive) appointment on the way out...

I had some threes at my hygienist check-up the other day, and she spoke of something that needed to be worked on, but not as some kind of drastic worry. So I wonder if you are over-reacting a bit? (unless it is specifically the bone loss comment that freaked you out).

I was also a bit surprised by the fact that this hygienist singled out different teeth from the previous hygienist, which made me a bit sceptical about the whole thing tbh. I wonder if they over-complicate the whole thing, so that you can feel you have had more value for money out of your two separate appointments (dentist and hygienist) than is actually the case.

Don’t panic too much. I was regularly getting 0, 1 or very occasionally a 2 around one tooth then my hygienist left. New hygienist scored me as 2 at the best, decided there was a pocket and scored it 4 & 5. She was absolutely vile when I asked for specific advice to tackle that one area and she told me to ‘maybe start brushing your teeth’

I came home fuming but luckily I had a check up with the dentist 4 days later so mentioned it then. He struggled to find anything he would describe as a pocket, told me I was doing fine and to carry on the good work.

That hygienist has moved on. The new one is great

What’s wrong with fizzy drinks? I assumed it was the sugar, but loads are sugar free now.

I also went from having no problems to suddenly being told I had gum disease and needed to see the hygienist every 3 months. I’ve heard the exact same from friends and there’s signs up in the dentist saying they’ve increased the availability due to huge demand.

I can’t help but think maybe it’s the knock on effect of lockdown setting into our teeth or maybe the stress of life these days.

Corporates. First they came for opticians, then they went for vets, now dentistry.

The upselling at our newly corporate owned practice is insane. Previously it offered just standard basic services and you had to be referred for orthodontics, implants etc. Now they offer every service under the sun including Botox and fillers. Previously there were two hygienists, now there are 5. There are two treatment coordinators?!?

The cynic in me links this to an uptick in gum disease diagnosis.

My kids dentist have totally banned fizzy drinks and this time ruled out squash as well due to the acidity I assume.

I think it’s age and being women. Our hormones make it much more likely we will suffer from gum disease. I have no fillings but it’s the gums and bone loss that will knacker all of that anyway as the teeth will just fall out 🤦🏻‍♀️

1 to 3 is still within the "healthy gums' range. I started to see a hygienist after lockdown. You'd think I'd never even considered brushing my teeth the way she spoke to me. I did end up joking with her about her scary manner. She left and the new one could not be more different. Only need to go every 6 months, nothing to worry about just carry on doing what you're doing etc. Such a gentle manner. I thought, from reading here, that all hygienists had the same "be scary" training but they don't.

This is not a given. My mother and grandmother had all their own teeth int o their 70s and 80s.

Yes. Put a tooth in a cups of orange juice, vinegar, cola and water and you’ll see the damage. You can do it with an egg as the shell is similar to tooth enamel.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/operation-ouch-do-try-this-at-home-experiment-5
Kids love this.

Fizzy drinks are acidic. The process that makes them fizzy makes them acidic. Even fizzy water.

Well that’s disappointing.

No, it's all the acid, etc, if you mean things like Diet Coke.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast I wouldn't worry. Hygienist is a growing way to make money. If the dentist says everything is fine, everything is fine. I haven't been for years. I just find them really aggressive. I have a tooth polishing kit for home.

Same here.

It's not inevitable at all. It's a matter of luck, probably.

Look up the prevalence for periodontal disease - pretty much everyone has it to some degree and then it seems less scary.

To be fair my mother still has her own teeth in her eighties. She’s lost a few back ones but all the rest are hers 😉

Absolutely this. Changed dentists recently as moved house. Dentist said my teeth were fine, took an x ray etc, no issues. Recommended hygienist for a clean. She said I had gum disease, possible bone loss and I am brushing and flossing all wrong, and I must see her again in 3 months. For another £75. Can’t help but feel the dentist would have mentioned these issues at the full check up a week prior. I may be cynical but I think they’re hitting fee earning targets. I type this as they finalise their new extension to dental practice.

I honestly think it’s the processed foods we eat. I saw a video online of people in certain tribes in Brazil with absolutely perfect teeth naturally. I have made a pact with myself to cut all the crap out. I’m on day two so far and determined.