to think that dental hygienists are wildly overpriced

[exse24Londoner]

saw my dentist and he recommended I see the dental hygienist to scrape the plaque off my teeth - as one side was a concern he said an hour would be best.

when I booked in I was told it would be £178!!! for one hour!!!! WTAF??????

I had to see an osteopath the other month & she charge £60 for 50 mins - that 50 mins included a consultation with a healthcare professional educated to MSc level + diagnosis & treatment who has independent accountability.

how on earth can the dental surgery think that £178 is reasonable???? btw I am pretty certain that the majority of the cost isn't going into the pocket of the dental hygienist

Husband is a dentist - says if dentist is recommending an hour’s treatment then her periodontal health must be pretty shocking.
Given severe gum disease is linked to poor general health outcomes, probably a price worth paying.

What, with private dentist? The cost so much I'd expect them not only clean my teeth for free, but also do a pretty little dance after finishing with my teeth.

Yeah that’s very expensive, I would switch dentists if this is a service you need regularly. I never go to the hygienist though. I brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush after breakfast and dinner, floss most evenings, dont eat between meals and avoid too many things that are bad for my teeth. Tartar isn’t building up to the point where my dentist comments on it or recommends a hygienist.

Their “opinion” probably worth listenin to? That’ll be the advice on how to avoid needing their care again.

I saw hygienist today at private practice. £65 for 45 mins !

Check-

Hygienists are not qualified to do check-ups………

Mine is £100 for 30 min. And she spends time chatting. For that money I want them to just get on with it. Absolute rip off

Was coming to say im surprised OP got 1 hour. Does anybody use the full hour? Seems too long. I paid around £105. Less than 10mins.

That's on the cheaper side.

I pay £80 for half an hour. West London. My teeth are hyper sensitive and I will only go to this one hygienist. She is very careful but thorough. I have my teeth cleaned every 3 months as opposed to the standard every 6 months.

I have pretty good teeth sometimes its more of a gum issue as well. Its not even that I have tons of plaque.

Gosh that's often every 3 months? Are you flossing?

What annoys me is that all the dental plans trap you into seeing the hygienist twice a year. Basically if you want a plan you have to see and pay for hygienist sessions you don’t actually want. I don’t think customers should be forced to do this.

That is alot. At mine previously it was £60 or £65 for 45 minutes I think I had. Now it’s gone up to £70 odd. Really annoys me that especially if there is a clinical need, the dentist should do scaling under the NHS, but they try to avoid because of since the banding system came in.

It’s easy for them to say too, if the practice has an in house hygienist, to go to them!

Go elsewhere. Sounds awful

Some people are weird. What is the point in seeing a hygienist if you don’t want professional advice tailor made for your individual dental hygiene. I certainly want a hygienist’s opinion and I usually ask for more details 🤷‍♀️ To see the hygienist at my dental practice (Bupa dentist) is £90 for 30 minutes. When I was there, I was aware that was what the practice charged for the facilities and tools and that the hygienist would be paid a fraction of that fee.

Mine is £85 for a 10 minute appt .
She gives gum scores …
She could tell husband was using water pik & flossing ( he doesn’t)
My score fluctuates wildly despite a rigorous dental routine of flossing water piking and those little brushes that I have been following for years .
She does drive a nice Mercedes though ..

Yes, the nhs site says if you need clean and polish to remove plaque which is damaging your teeth, the dentist should do it as part if chrckup. I dont expect the dentist to do a full clean but mine wont do any at all now, just says go to hygienist.She used to a few minutes.I am too scared to go to the hygienist as it sounds brutal.

I actually asked about the banding. Depends on your needs I will be booking a scale and polish to see if I can get a basic clean at my next appointment. Its disgusting considering it can cause endocarditus which is life threatening.

It's interesting. I pay £75 for 30 minites, every three months. I have been told all of my adult life that my teeth are tartar magnets and my gums have a tendency to inflammation. TBF they were gross 30 years ago when I was pg.

However, in connection with a drug I have annually for osteoporosis and one of ots side effects, I had to have a check up at the dental hospital. My teeth and gums were given a clean bill of health and I was advised I had the cleanest teeth and healthiest gums they had seen for a long time.

I have it done and don't mind the price much and I like the current hygienist. I can rationalise that rent, utilities, business rates, reception staff, etc, stacks up. Also I like my dentist and suspect he isn't a very rich man. I'm not sure I'd want to spend my life poking around mouths and doing fillings and root canal. Deeply skilled work but ot mist be incredibly boring and repetitove.

I pay £80 for half an hour in the NW. She’s private and has to pay a % to the dental practice

due to genetics I was having 30 min appointments every 3 months. This really helped me get on top of it and I’m now every 8 months. personally I think it’s worth it to keep on top of my gums

i really don’t mind a trip to the hygienist but I don’t think I could handle an hour appointment

All teeth are not the same. Some people build up plaque more easily than others. I also have 3 times a year because of that and to protect the crowns I have.

Wasn't this free in the nineties? Yes, I was a kid, but I'm sure my parents got a cleaning and polishing, with scraping if needed, every 6 months on the NHS free, as in everyone did?
I wonder how much the NHS would save long term offering more preventative care. We might all live longer, but we'd probably not need to have as much expensive treatment.

Is it because so many dental practices are now owned by profiteering private equity firms?