Dental hygienist - is this normal??

[HappyMum123456]

I have a private dental plan and I moved to a new practice around 2 or 3 years ago, only because my dentist of many decades was retiring and the new one is more convenient.

I often require fillings and other treatment which is all covered in the (very expensive) plan.

My issue is with the 6 monthly hygienist appointments (which are separate to my normal checkups with my dentist). I expected this would be for a regular scale and polish. But no....these appointments are truly horrific and humiliating. She starts by measuring my plaque and bleeding score and compares this to my previous readings. I'm quizzed on my use of a "bottle brush" and expected to explain myself and my dental hygiene habits. If that wasn't bad enough, I then have the humiliation of having to sign a contract/treatment plan to promise I'll do better for next time.

Is this normal?? I had nothing like this with my previous dentist. They just advised where I needed to focus my brushing etc. Today she was especially brutal with my teeth and gums once she'd established my bleeding/plaque scores were worse than last time. She demanded to know why this had happened.

I'd change dentists if it was simple - but last time I moved I needed a load of treatment to get some kind of dental fitness certificate.

I realise this probably makes me sound like I have dreadful teeth (I really don't) and that I'm a complete lightweight (I'm not). I just wondered if this was normal. I very nearly cried during my appointment today and my mouth still feels so sore and bruised.

iO toothbrush was a game changer for me

I can see the improvement in my gum health

I don't ever have to sign anything like a contract at my hygenist.

But it is routinely 30 minutes of pain, harrassement, and lecturing, while I am lying down, mouth wide open and can't move or leave.

I fucking hate it.

Yet I still go twice a year as it really helps keep my teeth in shape - I pay for this hectoring and abuse.

Yeah when I go to the hygienist I have to listen to them lecture me and then pay them £70 for the pleasure (I have an NHS dentist for the rest) I look after my teeth more than anyone else i know but unfortunately bad genetics and being a very stressy person means I have problems with my gums

Your hygienist/therapist's message is correct; her delivery (as you describe it) doesn't sound good. Same as @Lollygaggle, periodontitis is an insidious disease, so very important you're given all the information.

An electric toothbrush over a water pick any day!

@spikeandbuffy

thank you for mentioning that. when you say yours are done by hand is that the process I should ask for? Or does it have another name?

The hygienist gives the impression that using water is the only way they can do it properly and I'm being a wimp for cringing about it. And she's charging me £90

I e been going there 27 years so I basically said "can we not do this without the water?" After they tried and I nearly went through the roof
Hygienist said "oh I never get to do that any more, I miss it" and that's how we agreed
So it's the old scrape type thing

This sounds awful.. I do sometimes feel a bit 'told off' by the hygienist and have had some that were too rough but nothing like you describe OP

Yes I found the one at my last 2 dentists very condescending. They also use that awful electric pik which really hurts and I'm sure they damaged my gums by using it too aggressively. I floss very regularly and hate those brushes as they are plastic and horrendous fur the environment plus they seem to erode your gums between your teeth.
My gums don't bleed when I brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush, but they do if poked by a sharp pointy thing (as will my finger if poked a needle in it).

I think people don’t really the importance of their gums until they recede and they experience bone loss which leads to an ugly smile and eventually teeth loss. Your hygienist sounds excellent.

They won't erode your gums but they can take down swelling and remove stuff which makes it look like your gums have tightened (which is a good thing!)
I believe you can get not plastic ones

Really, she sounds excellent? Even though she's unpleasant and makes OP feels about an inch tall?

Belittling people and making them feel bad is not the way a professional is supposed to behave - especially when a lot of dental issues are caused by genetics other issues, not poor hygiene.

My dentist is private and hygienist is nothing like this .. very laid back

Unlike the NHS, private dental care focuses on preventative measures, and rightly so. If you need regular fillings and your teeth are even worse in terms of plaque at each visit and your gums are constantly bleeding, you are not looking after your teeth. The hygienist is there to help you look after your teeth, they don't appear to have done anything wrong, you've just taken offence because you have essentially been told off, again.
Do you want to lose your teeth? I bet your very expensive dental plan does not cover false teeth or bridges. It will keep on getting more expensive too if you don't look after your teeth.
I can tell you now, someone who has large amounts of plaque has stinky breath and that is not pleasant for people you are conversing with 🤢

It sounds like the OP isn’t doing a very good job unfortunately 😔

Yes. Excellent answer. Mine does the same stuff, but with a nice manner.

There is a powder but it is used to remove stains , it can’t get used to remove the tartar below the gums which is the important stuff to remove to improve gum health.

water cannot be heated up because it would cause bacterial contamination of the water lines and water is necessary to get the tartar off .

There is oraquix gel which help as with gum discomfort but does not do much for sensitive teeth

Yes you do, in order to stay in the same treatment band .

Unfortunately 98% of dental treatment is avoidable.
Diet is more important than brushing for decay but good cleaning is important for gum disease. Less than 40% of the U.K. use floss or interdental brushes and less than 50% clean effectively and twice a day.

@Lollygaggle yeah they said I might change band
Hopefully not, I'm band B at the minute which I don't think is too bad tooth wise!

Unfortunately you cannot do as thorough a job by hand and if you have very tough tartar it is impossible to remove by hand , you can only do it with an ultrasonic (water).
It will also take longer to do a good enough job so will probably cost more.
Better to have anaesthetic so they can get rid of the tartar properly , then concentrate on effective cleaning so you have no or little tartar next time.

I'm actually glad my hygienist (been seeing her for over ten years) is firm with me and pulls no punches! It means I take my dental hygiene seriously. I see her three times a year privately and it's worth every penny. I have gum disease which is now under control and rarely need to see a dentist. I'm pretty sure I'd have dentures without my hygienist. Thanks Sarah, if you're reading!

You cannot damage gums with the ultrasonic but once the tartar is gone gums heal and shrink and look very different to before.
The same with big gaps with using interdental brushes. If you floss a big gap it doesn’t clean effectively it just moves things around a bit. Using a brush gets rid of all the crud, the inflammed gums start to heal and shrink down. The gaps appear larger because there’s not swollen gum filling them up.

A toothbrush does not get down to the bottom of a pocket (where the gum has detached from the tooth). So you can brush and get no bleeding yet have lost almost all the bone around the tooth and have a deep pocket that’s very inflammed and bleeds. Gum measuring probes are not sharp or pointed they have a little ball on the end. If your gums bleed when they are used it’s because your gums are inflammed.

Agree that manner doesn’t sound good but 98% of all dental treatment is preventable and that is the tragedy .

I do wonder about the dental hygienists as there are so many of them who are quite patronising, that approach is really quite poor as often people just don't go. There is one thing advising another being patronising and bullying.