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.

In Oz we don't have public dentists (there are schemes for low income earners and their children etc but it's all serviced by private practice) except a handful of hospital clinics across the entire country.
The recommendation is to see the dentist every 6months. I take my kids that frequently but I go once per year. Never seen a 'hygenist'. My teeth are fine. X-rays every two years. Scale and clean every visit. I've never heard of anyone needing a cleaning plan!
We have fluorinated water here tho, that probably helps with overall tooth health, but we still need to brush twice a day and floss, gargle etc. Avoid sugary, sticky foods, blah blah. Eat healthier and so on.
You can get fluoride in Tooth Mousse, maybe he could give that a go if you're concerned. But 3monthly visits sound OTT

Fluoride stops tooth decay , it does nothing for gum disease .

More than 40% of adults in the U.K. have gum disease and the older you get the more common it becomes https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/gum-disease-by-the-numbers#:~:text=More%20than%2042%25%20of%20all,8%25%20have%20severe%20periodontal%20disease.

Gum disease not tooth decay is the number one reason for tooth loss in the U.K. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mouth/gum-disease/#:~:text=Gum%20disease%20is%20a%20very,teeth%2C%20but%20it%20is%20preventable.

It is associated with many other diseases from coronary disease, to diabetes , to miscarriages etc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodontal_disease

It is never cured, only kept under control and that control is 90% in the patients hands and 10% in the dental teams, ie if the patient is unable to clean effectively under the gum , plaque at rafts to build up immediately and tartar starts to form within 24 hours .

Gum disease is painless and most people will not notice anything wrong until teeth start to become loose or fall out.

In the U.K. failure to diagnose or treat gum disease (periodontal disease) is the number one reason to Sue a dentist and U.K. dentists are sued more often than anywhere else in the world. https://dentistry.co.uk/2019/05/15/top-five-reasons-dental-claims-periodontal-disease/

Sounds like they’re a bit grabby to me. Similar example I had dental check up 6 months ago, was told to book a hygienist appointment for scale polish etc due to ‘lots of staining and build up’ (there wasn’t). I subsequently cancelled the hygienist appointment and when I had my last check up a week ago, he said teeth look great hygienist did a great job……….I said good to hear, as I didn’t see them and that is just my normal cleaning regimen.

He shut up pretty quickly…..

Lol, the OP says he doesn't have gum disease, that's why I didn't mention it

Was OP in the surgery with their partner when the partner has had appointments ? Does OP know their partners plaque scores, bleeding scores , pocket depths ? Has OP seen their partners x rays for bone depth? Is OP aware of all their partners medical history that may make them more susceptible to gum disease or make the consequences of gum disease worse?

The partner wants the appointments , presumably for good reason and has been educated by their hygienist/dentist . Their partner is in charge of their own body and the choices that affect their own health. The OPs partner has made a health choice , based on what they have been told by their health professional and based on what they experience in their own mouth. OP wants them to change that health decision on a monetary basis only .

3 monthly appointments are normally only given if you have active gum disease or you have a history of gum disease and are in the early days of stabilisation. The plaque scores, bleeding scores , pocket depths, bone loss , medical history , dental history will dictate how often or even if at all someone will need to see the hygienist .

No I wasn't. No he's never had gum disease, and no dental practice until this one has said he must go every 3 months. Always seen hygienist annually as I do. Given the above I am sceptical that they have not managed to deal with it over the course of 10 visits. If there is a genuine issue fair enough but funny how all previous dentists (we have moved around a lot, here and abroad) must have failed to spot it.

But a dentist does not deal with gum disease. They remove plaque and tartar and any factors helping it to form but it will start to reform within 24 hours unless cleaning is absolutely tip top. The dental team provides a base for the patient to control their gum disease. Even then if a patient has deep pockets then they may very well not be able to clean effectively to the bottom of the pockets and hence 3 monthly or even 6 weekly appointments may be necessary.

About 40% of thirty year olds have gum disease and as you get older the likelyhood of you having gum disease increases so that by the time you are 60 you have a 60% chance of having gum disease.

Gum disease is never cured it is only ever kept under control. https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/gingivitis-periodontitis/background-information/prevalence/