Guest Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 My annual dentist appt is due. I don't trust the charging used by my new one. At a previous dentist I would pay the £20 nhs fee for a check up, plus scale and polish included. My new one does a very fast checkup, then says I need to see the hygenist for everything else. I have not yet seen the hygenist but I know it will cost me extra. Are they trying to charge me extra for band 1 treatments by forcing me to see hygenist? I can't find any reference to hygenist on NHS website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 My retirement job is in an NHS dental surgery, which is part of an NHS Trust Band 1 NHS treatment costs £20.60 (since 1/4/17). It should include a checkup and scale and polish. The S & P may be done by the dentist or dental technician, the up-to-date name for a hygienist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 NHS dentist basically looks into mouth, now checks for mouth cancer will not always scale or polish like they used to and refers you to a hygienist if no fillings required or other problems noticed....I have found out that the cost to see a hygienist is approx £50 and a NHS hygienist is not always cheaper or better than going to a private practice (some do both).....all dentistry is a business and it pays to do your research, best to ask around neighbours and friends who they use, why they use them, would they use again....the very good ones, even private will not always take on new patients because they are so popular....some dentists will do far more harm that good....buyer beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 32 minutes ago, Bossybabe said: My retirement job is in an NHS dental surgery, which is part of an NHS Trust Band 1 NHS treatment costs £20.60 (since 1/4/17). It should include a checkup and scale and polish. The S & P may be done by the dentist or dental technician, the up-to-date name for a hygienist. So rather than do the S&P within the £20.60 appt, the dentist could pass the S&P on to a separate hygenist appt, thus getting an extra £50 from me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddog Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 The dentist is concerned with a very small part of the body. Surely it should soon be possible for the dental nurse to sit you down and let a high resolution camera and robot proder do the work? After all, already a computer controlled laser, does laser correction on your eyes, with better results than a doctor. I go private and my dentist always tells me I need x-rays, total scam in my book. There are much more important parts of my body that don't need to be scanned every year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrink Proof Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 I don't mind paying my dentist. It's the only time anyone ever asks me to open my mouth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloomMonger Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Recently had my check up. Was offered a quick scale and polish included in £20 fee or more comprehensive clean for £50 something. Went for the second option. People take better care of their cars than their teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 I'm on denplan, £40 a month for the family. Money well spent as we can get an appointment in no time at all and get pretty much anything done. My dentist is great, and as an added bonus has large breasts that rub on my baldy head when she's doing the check up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Mum currently awaiting large scale dental treatment: basically most of top set removal, to be replaced by denture w/ poss implants later. Lower set is fine. Top set full of probs caused by .... crowns .... fitted purely for cosmetic reasons. Now she will be gummy. Dentists now agree crowns have a limited lifespan of ~13years max and no longer support their use cosmetically. Crowns for purely cosmetic reasons recommended by ... a dentist. Moreover, two of the crowns' roots have been split by posts, rendering the roots non-viable. The posts are now known to cause this problem. Posts recommended, for extra stability, by ... a dentist. Moving on to other professions, dental extractions post bisphosphonate treatment (for osteoporosis) can lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw (really bad). One should have all dental work done before taking BPs. Mum was kept on these for 8 years. GP never said a word about the dangers. Meanwhile dentists all over the world struggled for 6 years to figure out what was going wrong. They still don't have a clear idea and many would struggle to differentiate between osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis. Do I trust any of them? Think about this simple situation: regular brushing is encouraged. But dentists now advise against firm or medium bristles because it is said to damage the enamel. Fine but two questions: 1 Why do firm and medium bristle brushes even exist then? 2 WTF kind of metal is that you are scaping my teeth with Mr Dentist? ( presumably one that is softer than nylon!) And in other news caries are more common in the developed world than in the developing world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 5 hours ago, Grab_Some_Popcorn said: So rather than do the S&P within the £20.60 appt, the dentist could pass the S&P on to a separate hygenist appt, thus getting an extra £50 from me? No. Only if the hygieneist is in a different practice. We charge £20.60 for a dentist checkup and a technician S & P which happen on different appointments, unless it's a 'deep' S&P. On the NHS, they should be charging £20.60 for checkup, plus S&P, no matter who in the practice does them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Dentist for me is £50 a pop. Hygenist another £50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 The best way to avoid having avoidable dental treatment thereby unnecessary dental costs and pain is to use these (correct size) every morning and evening before brushing....brush all tooth area, gums and tongue do not rinse the toothpaste off with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Save me from the madness! Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 My Mum calls our NHS dentist the Butcher on account of our mouths always bleeding after being seen. Either she is very thorough, or I should be worried! I never use to have any issue at all with the dentists, but since I've reached mid 30's I've been getting sterner lectures and even had my first filling and my gums have receded a little so now there is a small gap just at the base between some of my teeth. Now I started using an electric toothbrush on the advice of my dentist in my early 30s so I wonder if the two are linked and contrary to advise, normal brushes are better. The thing is though this all could just be coincidence linked to me getting older (after all, vets look at horses gums to guess how old they are etc). All things considered, all my teeth and only 1 filling in my mid 30s I'm probably incredibly fortunate (plus my parents were firm but fair in monitoring sweet, chocolate and fizzy drink intake I had as a kid - many of my friends who had far more than me have bad teeth with many fillings and operations on them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 IMO....the best toothbrushes are the old fashioned medium, small brush head brushes.....forget electric, sonic or any other auto brush.....good technique manual brushing best way by far.....don't bother wasting money on fancy toothpastes that do this or that or fancy expensive mouth washes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 20 minutes ago, winkie said: The best way to avoid having avoidable dental treatment thereby unnecessary dental costs and pain is to use these (correct size) every morning and evening before brushing....brush all tooth area, gums and tongue do not rinse the toothpaste off with water. Interdentals - can't do w/o them personally - and DON'T buy cheap ones - a good 'un will last a good while, whilst cheap ones fatigue after a few uses and snap off. Hear what you say about leaving paste in mouth, but anyone with reflux will only likely exacerbate their condition (the dreaded peppermint pervades nearly all toothpaste and is an oesphageal sphincter muscle relaxant). More reflux means lower oral ph, and that means caries. 'course, you could use proton pump inhibitors to moderate the effects of reflux, but in my experience this route is only effective for 12 to 18 months. Then you are back to the same symptoms, plus the nasty side effects (reduced stomach acidity means lower mineral uptake and higher survival of ingested / oral bacteria into the gut. Not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdirkles Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 9 minutes ago, winkie said: IMO....the best toothbrushes are the old fashioned medium, small brush head brushes.....forget electric, sonic or any other auto brush.....good technique manual brushing best way by far.....don't bother wasting money on fancy toothpastes that do this or that or fancy expensive mouth washes... My wife who is a dental hygenist will echo this. She always tells people to forget mouthwashes and just brush twice a day and floss before bed. Use whatever toothpaste you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 1 minute ago, Sledgehead said: Interdentals - can't do w/o them personally - and DON'T buy cheap ones - a good 'un will last a good while, whilst cheap ones fatigue after a few uses and snap off. Hear what you say about leaving paste in mouth, but anyone with reflux will only likely exacerbate their condition (the dreaded peppermint pervades nearly all toothpaste and is an oesphageal sphincter muscle relaxant). More reflux means lower oral ph, and that means caries. 'course, you could use proton pump inhibitors to moderate the effects of reflux, but in my experience this route is only effective for 12 to 18 months. Then you are back to the same symptoms, plus the nasty side effects (reduced stomach acidity means lower mineral uptake and higher survival of ingested / oral bacteria into the gut. Not good. Got some really good herbal toothpaste in Europe cost about 60p tube, very good......why is it we only have about 3 companies that sell toothpaste? the big one seems to be everywhere.....tip go on holiday to Europe bring back the toothpaste less than 100ml tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Just now, mrdirkles said: My wife who is a dental hygenist will echo this. She always tells people to forget mouthwashes and just brush twice a day and floss before bed. Use whatever toothpaste you want. Mouthwashes might actually be harmful to your overall health. Oral bacteria are thought responsible for boosting vascular nitric oxide levels, which in turn lower blood pressure. Regular users of mouthwash demonstrate higher blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, stokes and kidney damage. Toothpaste is not a bactericide, afaik, but rather a pH moderator that increases enamel mineralisation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Just now, winkie said: Got some really good herbal toothpaste in Europe cost about 60p tube, very good......why is it we only have about 3 companies that sell toothpaste? the big one seems to be everywhere.....tip go on holiday to Europe bring back the toothpaste less than 100ml tubes. Been meaning to check out maybe some fennel flavoured stuff. The main manufacturers are obsessed w/ minty stuff cos the customer gets that zingy feeling they associate w/ "clean". Would appreciate a brand name for that herbal stuff if you have it. Also went through a zylitol gum phase - chewing is great for saliva which is great for remineralisation. Sadly the mint got my reflux going again! Darn it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 34 minutes ago, Save me from the madness! said: ... I started using an electric toothbrush on the advice of my dentist in my early 30s so I wonder if the two are linked and contrary to advise, normal brushes are better. ... dentists are now advising AGAINST electric toothbrushes. google it ... just another reason why i don't trust them. My Mum used to come home w/ all sorts of advice from her dentist about how to brush. My Dad just gave 'em a good scrub. He still has all of his, she has lost nearly all the top set. It makes me wonder : seeing as no dentist has ever asked me how i brush, how, other from their own personal experience, do they know what technique really works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 2 minutes ago, Sledgehead said: dentists are now advising AGAINST electric toothbrushes. google it Only because loads of people can't use them properly. Lots of idiots are pressing down hard when using electric brushes, which leads to enamel removal etc. You are supposed to just hold the brush head on the tooth, not press or apply any pressure. Used in this way, electric is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Personally I think this country is paranoid about cleanliness, bacteria eradication, disinfectant, germs......maybe that is why kids are so intolerant to normal things we all come across daily....types of food, gluten, asthma,quick to catch colds, sore throats etc, etc.......germs can be good for you, they help build up resistance to life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 1 minute ago, winkie said: Personally I think this country is paranoid about cleanliness, bacteria eradication, disinfectant, germs......maybe that is why kids are so intolerant to normal things we all come across daily....types of food, gluten, asthma,quick to catch colds, sore throats etc, etc.......germs can be good for you, they help build up resistance to life. we know that there is good gut bacteria that can be erradicated w/ antibiotics. Why not good oral bacteria? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 13 minutes ago, Sledgehead said: we know that there is good gut bacteria that can be erradicated w/ antibiotics. Why not good oral bacteria? https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/good-bad-gut-bacteria-human-body-probiotics-healthy.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehead Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 25 minutes ago, winkie said: https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/good-bad-gut-bacteria-human-body-probiotics-healthy.html It is interesting that lactobacilli are considered good in the gut (because they help us digest lactose w/o gaseous build up) but bad in the mouth (because they excrete lactic acid and hence lower oral pH - leading to tooth enamel mineral leaching - when they digest sugars). Here's an article on the balance of good vs bad bacteria which recommends "oil pulling". Don't do it myself, but am starting to take an interest ... anyone an advocate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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