To feel like a minger at the dentist

[Anotherdayanotherusername]

I've always tried to look after my teeth. I brush twice daily with an electric toothbrush, floss & use those little brushes to clean in between. I visit the hygienist at least every 6 months, every 3-4 months at their suggestion at times, but it's pricy!

However, within a couple of weeks of visiting the hygienist the tartare starts building up and is hard to control. I've even tried chipping it off with dentist tools I bought in Boots with limited success. By the time I go back to the hygienist, there's a significant amount to remove & I can tell she's not impressed. I once caught a glimpse of my notes which read "poor oral hygiene" which was mortifying. However, a dentist once told me that some people produce more plaque than others so need to work harder to control it. The gaps between my teeth are also very narrow so harder to reach.

I've just seen the dentist who says I have gum disease and bone loss. She's recommended a "non-surgical treatment" which is basically an hour long hygienist session but if that doesn't work I may need surgery to save my teeth. I'm so upset. She said that while they can do their best, a lot of it is up to me.

I'm wondering what I could've done to prevent this. Maybe brush my teeth after every meal or snack, which is not really practical. Turns out the brushes I've been using are the wrong ones for my teeth so have bought new ones, but probably a bit late. I would add that my teeth don't look bad. They're not as white as I'd like but I haven't needed a filling in years (don't eat much sugary stuff) and the gums don't bleed when I brush which I thought was a sign of gum disease.

Am I just unlucky or actually a minger?

I’m not a dentist, but I suspect there’s nothing you’ve done wrong. I have similar oral hygiene to you (regular dentist visits etc, brush twice daily, floss daily) but I don’t use an electric toothbrush and never have. I rarely get plaque building up (if ever) and I have no decay or fillings. I think it’s probably more to do with genetics than routine!

I brush my teeth multiple times a day, use a water gun once a day and use floss a couple of times a day. I still get a little plaque build up.
Do you use an electric brush.

I would get a second opinion, if you can afford a consultation with another dentist.
I have terrible build up of tartar and plaque, my dentist just cleans my teeth once a year at my appointment and doesn't say anything else is needed.

Are you flossing properly?

Are you using your toothbrush correctly?

Get a nicer hygienist!

Sympathies! Gum health can be familial, if your parents had bad gums, you may well have a tendency to this. Even with meticulous tooth and gum care, disease is inevitable.
I'm afraid such deep-cleaning will become the norm as it's the only way to stop disease progression
It's not your fault!

I'm beginning to suspect my dentist is trying to sell expensive procedures rather than think about the actual needs of the patient.

Even an everyday check up is a big sell for whitening.

Dentist said to me it's something to do with production of saliva. It's not your fault. Some people have it worse than others.

About 30 years ago I saw a dentist in Surrey who said I needed thousands of pounds worth of treatment to save my teeth. Never went back. New dentist never said anything. Get a second opinion.

I always used to go to an NHS dentist who never really found anything wrong. I now have a private dentist and hygienist included as part of the package and have massively upped my oral hygiene but you’d never guess from the feedback I get!! I’m guessing your dentist is private? As above, I suspect there’s an element of up selling treatments here.

Plenty of people in this country barely brush their teeth let alone floss etc, and many cannot afford/can’t find a dentist to see even annually, let alone see a hygienist multiple times a year. You’re not a minger, your teeth are probably in better shape than most of the nation.

I feel for you OP, I'm in a similar position.

I visit the hygienist quarterly and the dentist every 6 months. Brush twice daily, interdental sticks etc. I also have gum disease and some bone loss - difference is my dentist is very clear that they can see I have good hygiene, and it's likely genetics/bad luck that have impacted me.

With plaque, I've found that using disclosing tablets every few weeks really does help, as you can see where you need to specifically target.

I need my teeth cleaned every four months, it’s due to my saliva which means I get build up faster.

I would visit another dentist for a second opinion. I had loads of unnecessary work done just so they could make money

Try drinking water after every meal if you don't already. Sounds like it's just the luck of the draw, and perhaps some saliva production issues.

Can you ask for advice on how best to control it?

Oh yes, and a second opinion from a different dentist (if you can get an appointment) would be good.

I can’t see how it can be anything you’re doing wrong based on what you’ve said.

I suspect they’ve written poor oral hygiene in your notes to give them the justification to upsell you more pricey/frequent treatments tbh.

This is my situation also. Gum disease, and every few months I have to get areas of my mouth numbed to get deep cleaning done under the gum line. Also had some surgery to really clean and reduce pockets around my teeth. I brush twice a day, electric brush, floss and interdental brushes. Dentist and hygienist are very clear though that I have good oral hygiene, the dentist told me that my mouth reacts badly to plaque and I will always struggle with it. Nothing to do with bad hygiene. I would get a second opinion if I were you OP.

Have you tried using disclosing tablets that dye the plaque blue so that you can see which bits you're missing?

Try a water flosser OP- like you I was on the 3 montly visits to an unimpressed Hygienist despite flossing, interdental brushes etc- when I added the water flosser that solved it! Back to a normal schedule of visits now

My dentist told me this, too. Despite lifelong, scrupulous oral hygiene, I get a bit of plaque behind my bottom front teeth (nowhere else). My dentist says it's a combination of saliva that leads to more plaque and my very crowded bottom front teeth.

I brush twice a day and floss for about a week every year before forgetting again. Whatever the score is they give your gums is - I think I remember this right 0 is the best and is rare and I get it every time. I didn’t see a dentist in a decade and didn’t even need a clean when I did. I live on lemonade and Coke and snack through the day. I am very partial to treacle toffee and make some a few times a month. I feel like I am proof that much of this is luck.

If they aren’t bleeding then surely they aren’t getting worse?

This is something I’ve given loads of thought actually.

as 80s/90s children we were lead to believe that if you brushed, your teeth would be fine. If you didn’t, they’d fall out.

much of dental health is genetic and luck i think, or at least outside of our control. OBVIOUSLY oral hygiene is incredibly important, but it is NOT the only factor. Somehow having poor teeth is seen as a moral failing? It isn’t. I have weak teeth due to medication I had as a child. All the cleaning in the world didn’t stop my molar shattering in my sleep last year. The dentist had actually done x rays just ten days before as an annual thing, and there was no sign of decay or infection in that tooth at all.

It's literally there in the first sentence!

Read the first paragraph.