Can you still see a dental hygienist on the NHS?

[TheBlonde]

I'm quite
My dentist (NHS) said I needed to see the hygienist
Saw the hygienist, came out, got charged 45 quid
Apparently the hygienist at my dentist is always private

Is this standard? Can you still see a dental hygienist on the NHS?

people do assume that dentists are rolling in it! (i don't btw)

I've never met a poor dentist. In fact mine has an 8 bedroom house, a place in Spain and God knows what else.

Sorry to be blunt but if we all worked really hard cleaning our teeth and gums the hygienist would be out of business.

Get some floss and go up and down between each tooth, not a sideways sawing action. Try to do this every day. If your gums bleed it usually means they are inflamed, do not avoid them as they will get worse. Clean the affected area extra carefully and yes it will bleed for a few days and be sore but I assure you it will go away.

Get yourself a brush with a small head with medium bristles and a tiny brush for getting where you can't reach.

When your teeth have plaque on them you can feel it with your tongue, it feels slightly bumpy. Brush your teeth and then feel all round for plaque afterwards.

Everyone forgets to clean the backs of the bottom front teeth, give them an extra clean.

HTH.

Wonderfully insulting post Rose - yes I know how to floss & brush thanks!

Wasn't meant to insult, it's advice. Ask your dentist why he is insisting you see a hygienist, is he just not wanting to do a scale and polish himself or does he think you have a genuine need for a 'pro'. If you're flossing etc you shouldn't need to see one.

i forgot to do the backs of my front teeth for ages i'm paying for it now!

and have received some great dental advice on mn! thanks!

I believe I need a pro as I have a fixed retainer (behind my teeth)

What I will be asking my dentist is why they didn't tell me that the hygienist wasn't NHS beforehand. Most annoyed as expected it to be free and now my purse is empty

Tonight's delivery pizza is going on the credit card

Inexcusable for him not to tell you it was not NHS treatment especially if you had seen him on the NHS. Is your orthodontic work being done privately, perhaps he presumed you could afford it? Still shouldn't have done it though.

i got tons of dental work free (inc hygienist) when i was on maternity leave do they still do that?

My ortho work is finished - I just have a short retainer to keep it all in place if you know what I mean

Yes NHS dental care is free when pg and up until your baby is 1 year - same as prescriptions

second - i didnt find your post insulting - cant think why anyone would - i certainly didnt know everything you wrote. thanks.

Orthodontic work isn't avaliable on the nhs for adults (and now for most children too unfortunately). SH rose it isn't as black and white as you put it. A lot of the ork a hygeinist does is well below the gum line where you can't get to with floss etc.

My dentist just says everyone's to see the hygienist every 6 months, nothing to do with the need. And jovially suggests seeing the hygienist before a special occasion for a good clean and polish! (I don't, of course.) That's cosmetics, not need. And I'm now told I need an x-ray every 2 years.

I don't want to get into a toothy argy bargy but back to those check-up/hygienist fees. The dentist will surely earn a lot more than £15.50 in the whole hour as they could fit in 5 check-ups so should easily be able to cover £20 per hour hygienist cost?

And I consider £45-55k a fine salary.

Oh pointydog, shut it, you hound.

Appreciate what you stay COV but only 'extreme' cases needed a hygienist in the practices I worked at. 75/80% of people only needed a S/P and only those with deep pockets, crown/bridge work or those who hadn't been in for years really needed deep scaling. Perhaps times have changed, it's been a few years. If you put in the preventative cleaning you haven't got the under the gum work to worry about in the future. My Mum is 75, she spends so much time on cleaning her teeth she has never had them scaled. Sadly she has lost teeth due to them crumbling, roots splitting etc.

second hand rose...it's called sub gingival calculus & supra gingival calculus, you know...the stuff brushing & flossing can't remove?

ive never seen a dental hygeinist in my life!, however did have an interesting experience at the dentist today..see my other thread.

My ex-dentist (dropped his NHS patients) drives a Porsche Cayenne? with a personalised number plate so is deservedly maligned, I feel.

Guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this ubject secondhandrose. I am too tir to argue the intricases (sp) of the need to see a hygeinist or wether dentists are over/under paid, scum of the earth etc etc (ps I've had a particularly bad day at work)