to think this much dental treatment is unnecessary?

[Portakalkedi]

DH started at a new private dentist 2.5 years ago. He has fairly good teeth and always looked after them, mostly been with NHS dentists and had the usual checkup, scale and polish every year (except during Covid).
His new (private) hygienist said he had to go every 3 months so they could remove the 'deep set' plaque etc. 2.5 years later they are still saying every 3 months - at £69 a time. It seems they are either: 1 - crap at their job if they have not done what they said over the course of the last 10 visits, or
2 - it's easy money to 'scare' people back in more often than is really necessary.
I go to the hygienist once a year (different private dentist).
AIBU to think they're taking the piss? He feels he should do what they say.

I find private dentists to be pretty grabby. My last one was trying to refer me to a surgeon for a review of a surgery which I had 11 years ago. She also told me "you really need to see a hygienist" as it my teeth were about to fall out. I saw one a few months later when I was visiting my parents in Europe and the job took 20 minutes and she said I didn't really have much to remove and she will do a superficial clean and a soda polish instead.

I’ve just been told to have 3 monthly hygienist appointments too. I had my first visit and two of my teeth have since chipped and I can’t but help blame them as I’ve never had a broken tooth on my life never mind two chips.

Does he have gum disease that they are trying to manage?

Is Denplan an option? We pay a flat fee monthly which covers all appointments including hygienists and most treatments except lab fees and implants.

Gum disease is not ever cured it is only stabilised and 90% of that is work by the patient and 10% by the dentist/hygienist.

Tartar (calculus) will reform if plaque is left undisturbed for at least 24 hours. So in other words the hygienist can do a brilliant job getting rid of all the tartar but if someone doesn’t change their regime and clean effectively within 24 hours that tartar has started to reform .

Most people in the U.K. will lose their teeth not from decay but from gum disease and 75% of the population do not clean effectively .

Missed diagnosis of gum disease is the number one reason dentists get sued.

If someone cleans effectively , uses interdental brushes etc every day, stops smoking , keeps diabetes under control (if applicable) and follows hygienists recommendations and doesn’t have deep pockets then they will not have to see hygienist so often or at all.

No, he has no gum disease, brushes teeth very well with flossing, interdental brushes etc, and never been told there's anything wrong. Hence my feeling he's being taken for a mug.

@Lollygaggle even if someone cleans effectively, uses interdental brushes, doesn’t smoke, uses Gengigel and single tuft brushes, they’re still likely to be told to go every three months.

That’s the regime I have twice a day and that’s what I’m told to do - at £80 a visit.

Do you know what his gum , plaque and bleeding scores are? The point about private care is that is also provides preventative care as well. NHS just treats disease.

If he had no plaque, calculus,bleeding etc then there would be nothing for the hygienist to remove . He has been at the appointments , had the care from hygienist and is convinced he needs it from what the hygienist has said .

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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. !

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

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

Well my DH has never had gum problems, cleans teeth meticulously, and while I can see someone might need a few visits to deal with plaque etc after not going for a couple of years (Covid), I can't believe they're not on top of it after TEN visits at 3 monthly intervals. I will try again to persuade him to make it 6 monthly rather than 3.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.