Another dentist one... Why should we go?

[picklemepopcorn]

So, I routinely go to the dentist, get complimented on the cleanliness of my teeth, but still seem to need work, especially every time I get a new dentist. I'm booked in for a replacement filling and a crown on a root canal.

DH thinks we shouldn't go at all, unless we have pain. He reckons they 'find stuff to do'. He doesn't think the treatments and interventions are helpful preventatively speaking.

A friend and her husband don't go at all.

Are they all BU?

I should go more regularly I suppose, but even with an NHS dentist it gets expensive, so I tend to only go when I am having problems.

Therefore, I have some sympathy with your DH's view.

I go every six months and never need anything done. I think it's much better to catch problems early though. By the time you have pain I suspect lots of damage has been done.

My DH goes every 6 months and just gets a clean, no real work. I only go when I have pain. I don't really see the point otherwise, I know I have good dental hygiene, if it ain't broke, don't fix it etc

That work needs doing, or they wouldn't do it. And getting it done now prevents pain in future surely.

Or sure you could wait until you get pain. But if you haven't been in a while you might find the dentist refuses to see you.

I go every 6 to 12 months and they have never found anything more than a scale and polish to do

We're not encouraged to go to the Dr regularly unless there's a good reason, is it different with the dentist?

I go every six months and see the hygienist once a year. They never find 'stuff to do' (my only filling was for a cracked tooth) because they nip everything in the bud. I'm a religious brusher and flosser though.

I go for check ups but try to stretch it out to every 12 months rather than the 6 that the dentist recommends.

Last time I went I'd been assigned to a new dentist at the surgery and as soon as I sat in the chair, before he'd even started to examine my teeth, he started pushing private teeth whitening (I'm an NHS patient). My previous dentists there haven't ever done that, I'm not sure if it's a new thing they're doing or if he's just trying to make a bit of money.

I had the same thought so decided not to book my last 6 month check up. They then decided to chuck me off the NHS register for not going regularly and I can't get back on now, so that was a silly mistake on my part!

Standard in my area is every 12 months if you're NHS and there are no problems. Costs about 25 quid for check up, scale and polish.

Me and DS go every 6 months. Dentist never finds work to do and we're private not NHS.
DP never goes to the dentist and hasn't been for years.
I'd rather go regularly so that any potential problems can be spotted and treated early. I think that treatment is more expensive if things are left.

We're not encouraged to go to the Dr regularly unless there's a good reason, is it different with the dentist?

You're not encouraged to go to the doctor for an annual physical and a pelvic exam?

well, I didn't go for years until i had pain. and i ended up losing the tooth because by the time it was seen it was past saving. it was a back tooth thankfully but i now go regularly.
also, dental checks do more than just look at your teeth, they check for any gum disease, or potential mouth cancers that you would never know about without them being checked.

Currently nursing a partially finished root canal. You do not want to be in pain. Go regularly. Make sure you get your teeth checked to avoid prolonged pain!

I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I had a brace when I was younger. Once I got it out, I never went back for years and years. I kept up good oral hygiene. I never had toothache. I got such an irrational fear after my brace experience as a teen; having teeth out, impressions being taken and the putty stuff oozing out and down my throat. I hated it.

I went back when we moved and registered with our dentist and had a scrape and polish. All those horrible feelings came flooding back and I had to get out of there.

Ff to late last year and I got an abscess. I had to go back and had a horrid dentist who spoke to me like a piece of shit. As I was nervous anyway, I started to cry.

I got booked in at the hospital and had an anaesthetic and got my tooth out.

It was bliss.

I will never return to a dentist again, unless a problem arises.

I go every six months and have for the past 22 years. I have had one root canal during that time (which was an extra appointment because I was in pain). If you are getting work done it is for a reason.

steff13
In the uk we only go to GP if ill. A smear test about once every five years, depending on your age. Mammogram after a certain age.

I go regularly but still have problems. I've lost a molar and had a root canal which needs capping.

I had no trouble at all for years, now it's problem after problem. Despite having clean teeth. Pah!

Steff13 no because there's no evidence for it being helpful.

Smears every 3 years. Bp diabetes and cholesterol check every 3-5 years over the age of 40 unless problems identified before that.

Bp check every year for women on oral contraception.

Iv had far less issues since seeing the hygienist every 3 months

I go for a checkup every 12 months and the hygienist once a year too.

Never had any problems or interventions (apart from braces as a teen).

A friend of mine went for the first time in 12 years recently (no pain or other issues, just felt she better go) and needed £1,000+ of work (fillings, one extraction and a crown).

I do think strong, healthy teeth run in my family though, so I am probably one of the lucky ones.

Bp diabetes and cholesterol check every 3-5 years over the age of 40 unless problems identified before that.

I've never been offered any of that. Sometimes get bp taken as part of something else but never had diabetes or cholesterol check.

In case MrsMorton turns up, can I ask a question?

DS can't stand the 'big teeth' toothpaste and only tolerates the 'milk teeth' one. He's 6 and has a few big teeth in.

Does it make any difference? I'm inclined to think not, but DP us adamant we should force the big teeth one that he hates.

Regularly changing your dentist is actually associated with more work being undertaken. So one way to keep things more steady is to stick to one dentist. I see mine annually and have two or three hygienist appointments too and very rarely need anything done. My dentist sometimes night say she is a little concerned about a tooth or gum and advise me to be more particular in cleaning it and she will review next time. If I wasn't a regular attendee, she might jump more quickly to treatment rather than a wait-and-see approach.

Most things that go wrong with your teeth are fairly linear if you do nothing about them - a tiny cavity will become a bigger cavity, will get infected, will cause pain. So aiming to diagnose at the tiny cavity stage makes sense, to target prevention or to undertake treatment.

Some people are blessed with fine healthy teeth and have good eating and cleaning hygiene habits. It's all so individual that I really don't think you can compare yourself to your friend.

But goingngof regular check ups means they can find and remove plaque early. How could you do what if you only went when you were in pain?

I don't choose to change dentist. Same surgery, but high turnover of dentists recently.

Pelvic exam! What's that? No, literally never encouraged to attend for any annual checks.