Dentists - any of you bored enough to answer an unimportant question?

[MrsCellotape]

Just wondering about my check up: What was my dentist referring to, when she prodded top of my teeth/gums and reported "1", "2" "1", or "1, no make that 2" etc round my mouth?

I should've asked really.

chicken.
TIA

she was counting your teeth

She was mapping your teeth. I believe they count from the middle of your mouth, so each tooth will have a number from 1 - 8.

I think she was rating your gum health. Sorry to disagree with others

That's what mine does.

0 is the best 3 is the worst.

I think, please don't quote me!

Also I think they rate it by how much they bleed when they scrap round with that tool thing they use.

Oh dear I'm not doing very well 'scrape' even Again

Measuring the depths of the pockets between the tooth and the gum (it is millimetres btw). Nothing to worry about sounds like your gums are pretty healthy).

Oh no I'm wrong, sorry ComeOVenReadyturkey. Great name. You're a dentist aren't you?

Thank you! I'd worked out she wasn't numbering teeth (unless her counting skills were worse than my 3 yo's!)

Can stop wondering now.

You paid for the check-up under the nhs which is £15.90. This covers examination, diagnosis (including x-rays), advice on how to prevent further problems and a scale and polish if needed. So strictly speaking you shouldn't have had to pay anymore.

However if you haven't been for 12 years a basic scale and polish probably wasn't enough, but the nhs don't provide for deep cleaning so most dentists will charge for a private cleaning if extensive cleaning is required. Usually they get around it by making you a second appointment with a hygeinist, rather than clean them themselves. It is slightly immoral but common practice.

I went to the dentist last week. £80 first appointment and £52 for the hygienist. . They even asked for a deposit when I booked. I did have a NHS dentist but the guy was struck off. He tried to get me to have x-rays when pregnant but I insisted that I didn't want them. God only knows what else he was doing.

A hygeinist is a specialist in cleaning teeth and sorting out gum problems. They tend to be private even within a predominantly nhs practice. Put it this way in a 20 minute session a dentist(nhs) could do a checkup, and a cleaning or 2 checkups. Which makes more money?

I pay my dentist about £25 a month and get 4 check-ups and cleanings for this per year. My dentist doesn't seem to be able to recruit a hygienist, so he does the cleanings himself.

I think £300 a year is pretty reasonable, although I loathe the gum prodding.