Dental deep clean

[kirinm]

I am looking at getting dental implants for teeth I lost due to an accident. I've been told I need a deep clean first - google suggests this equates to gum disease which he didn't specifically say but perhaps he was being polite!

It is costing a bloody fortune but now I've read that is painful and people have found it traumatic. Can anyone reassure me?

It really depends on the severity of your gum disease and how well you look after your teeth. I don’t experience pain with a clean, but I floss daily and have good hygiene so I don’t need much done. Everyone should have cleans as often as every 6 months so I don’t know that it means you have gum disease, just that he’s saying you need it done as he’s seen a build up that needs dealing with!

my old boss had to have his done in two stages, half of the mouth at a time due to how much work he needed. He was given injections to numb the area. They can also use the numbing gel for cases more in between.

the worst one I had was when I was pregnant. I didn’t floss at the time and there was a lot of blood (your body reacts to bacteria on your gums more strongly during pregnancy).

I don’t think I’d call having a clean traumatic, and ultimately if you don’t have it done you risk losing more teeth, so for the sake of half an hour I just think suck it up and go for it?

I’ve never met a horrible hygienist yet and they check regularly how you’re doing, if you want / need them to stop etc.

Yes I'm definitely going - I've already paid half of the fee of £500! I think this is a deeper clean as he mentioned numbing my face.

I had one recently and found it very unpleasant, but not traumatic. I apparently had a large amount of build up (historically very bad at oral hygiene but working on getting better now, hence the cleaning appointment). There was a lot of blood, some pain, and my sensory issues led to overwhelm because of the noise, sensation etc.
I'm going back in a few weeks for another one and hoping it won't be as bad this time.
I will say though the hygienist and nurse were both absolutely lovely which helped. I didn't feel judged (even though they had the right to judge) and they were kind throughout.

£500 for a clean?

I have an appointment at a private dentist coming up (first appt) and now I'm even more scared 🥴

I've had a deep clean. It wasn't that bad because they numbed my gums before they started.

I had to go twice to get it done as they would only do one half of my mouth at a time. I was told if they numb your entire mouth you risk biting your own tongue or something afterwards because you can't feel when you jaws are closed until the anaesthetic wears off.

I'm worried we are doing it all in one go. He didn't seem to he concerned but I can see it tends to be two appointments generally.

Urgh the whole thing is freaking me out. I know long term it's good but short term it just sounds like pain and great expense!

I've had one it's not at all the same as a normal hygienist appointment for a clean. That does seem really expensive though I think mine was about £200 compared to about £80 for a standard clean.

They really numbed my mouth, it took days rather than hours to feel normal again, it took about an hour of continual work and I'm not sure it did a great deal of good in the long run, so I'm not sure I would do it again. I suspect you will have to get it done to get the implants.

I have inadvertently ended up at the most expensive dentist in London it seems!

If it was due to an accident will insurance pay for the work?

@Silverbirchtwo no, it was actually me having a seizure (epilepsy) but it was a long time ago. I don't have insurance for dental through work unfortunately.

A deep clean isn't like a hygienist cleaning your teeth. When I had it done, it took about 2 hours in total.

They go right under the gums to try and clean out bacteria which are causing gum disease.

Deep clean can be uncomfortable but is worth it in the long run, £500 for a clean is a lot though. Can I ask how much the implant is?

It's 2 implants and a bridge which came to £6700. That on its own doesn't seem too bad based on what I thought implants would cost.

I used to work for a dental clinic and depending on your daily routine the pain with vary.

Can I ask what your regular hygiene routine is?

I basically brush my teeth twice a day! The existing denture has probably caused issues because I don't remove it as often as I should. That's one of the things I have to do now.

I suggest you start flossing, twice a day. That will help your gums and prevent further gum disease.

A water pik isn't a must have but it's handy.

And a mouth rinse. 30 seconds twice a day.

Also most people don't know this but you should be brushing your teeth for two minutes. You can buy an electric toothbrush that will automatically shut off after two minutes or put on a timer.

Your gums will thank you and prevent further issues! Plus the deep clean won't hurt as much. 😉

Thanks. I'll buy one of those water piks.

I have an electric toothbrush and am aware of the 2 mins rule (I literally count for 2 mins when doing my daughters teeth)!

Any particular mouthwash?

I like Listerine Fresh Burst. Listerine helps prevent gingivitis.

Therabreath is good too and alcohol free!

That's awesome you time your daughters teeth!!!

£500?! Where the heck do you go!

Ok firstly I thought this was a hygienist appointment not something different so apologies, my first post is useless to you.

secondly if you’re using mouthwash, don’t use it after brushing your teeth as it removes the fluoride left from brushing. Never rinse after brushing with anything, water, mouthwash or other.

I think it's being treated as non surgical periodontal treatment. I've just checked their fees list and that's the figure most closely related to what I'm having done.

I've also emailed them to double check.

Hi OP, is this a root plane and scale? I had one about 10 years ago. At the time it was £650. It took about 5 hours in total but that consisted of 2 1/2 hours in the morning, an hour's break of lunch then another 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon.

There was no pain or trauma. I think I counted about 18 numbing injections in total. I just felt relieved I was having it done and the lady who did it was constantly checking that I was okay. It was the best chance I had of saving my teeth and since then I've managed to keep all of them but it's taken some really thorough cleaning at home - brushing very carefully around the gum line and using interdental brushes in ways I didn't realise was possible. It really is the work you put in after the treatment that counts.

It was the best thing I ever spent money on. My body has a hyper response to bacteria at the gum line which became even worse when I was pregnant. By the way, I've been by 3 hygienists that mouthwash and water piks are pretty useless.

Thanks. I'm guessing that it is a root plane and scale but he only said deep clean - it's only because of the cost and google that I've worked out what it is!

He's said I'll need 45 mins - 1 hour. 5 hours sounds like an absolute slog. Well done you. Glad it worked.

I think it would've been handy if he told me thinks I've got gum disease and I wouldn't be confused.

Dentists I've worked for recommended mouthwash after eating.
Freshens your breath and protects your teeth and gums!

I've never heard a dentist say water piks and mouthwash are useless. I did research and wrote articles based on dental requests. I know way more about oral health then I ever wanted to!