How often should I visit a dental hygienist?

Apollonia

Chazolate wrote: »

Hi. I am not sure what I am doing wrong my dentist suggested more fluoride. The hygienist didn’t speak to me about anything. I know that I am cleaning them enough perhaps I need to floss, because my diet is pretty good.

Try using plaque disclosing tablets to see how well you are really brushing.
The tablets are widely available in supermarkets or chemists and easy to use but it is best to use them at night as the dye will also give you a blue tongue for a few hours!

You might find that once the plaque is visible you need to be spending more time with the toothbrush.
Please note I said "more time" , and not"scrub harder" !! Gentle brushing + at least 2 minutes brushing time is more effective than scrubbing as hard and as fast as possible.

glowgirl_2

I used to have gum problems and see my hygenist every three months just to make sure everything is ok:)

Chazolate

Thanks everyone for the advice. I don’t drink tea, coffee or fizzy drinks. I have a glass of fruit juice a day, flavoured water or cordial. I rarely snack and have three meals a day mostly plain meals pasta, rice, fish, chicken, veg ect. However when I was younger I used to eat a lot of ice-cream and have fizzy drinks I guess that wasn’t a good start for my teeth. I will try and talk to my dentist about it as he has never brought it up before.
The plaque disclosing tablets are a great idea. It would be nice to know where I’m going wrong!

brook2jack

You are fine to eat and drink sweet things with your meals thats not a problem.It's inbetween times you need to watch out.

However what are your flavoured waters flavoured with.. are they and your cordials sugar free? Low sugar just means instead of eg 3 spoons of sugar in each glass there is 1 spoon that's still going to cause a problem.

If you are having fillings now it's your diet now that's the problem, not what you ate in the past.

brighthair

I go every 6 - 12 months, at the same time as a check up, I just book a double appointment as my dentist is in a different county!

Chazolate

I will definitely go after my 6 month check-ups when my dentist tells me to then.

Toothsmith

I'd try an optician whilst you're at it as well!

Your font is getting bigger and bigger!

Torry_Quine

I have never seen or been asked to see a hygienist. If needed my dentist gives me a scrape and polish.

poppyolivia

Torry_Quine wrote: »

I have never seen or been asked to see a hygienist. If needed my dentist gives me a scrape and polish.

same here..my friends go every 6 months etc to the hygienist..I phoned for an appointment and I was asked if i was allowed annual appointments? (I got a scale and polish with having my brace off last year)...she went away and said I can have a dental check up and take it from there????(this I do every 6 months without a doubt).....I thought you could phone and get one!:rotfl::o..I am 34 and had 3 scale and polishes (that I can remember)

brook2jack

On the NHS you can only have a scale and polish if clinically necessary mostly it will be done by the dentist .Most NHS practices cannot afford to employ a hygienist but some do employ hygienists privately. Even if you want a "cosmetic" private scale and polish and pay privately for it a dentist must have seen you a reasonable amount of time before hand to prescribe it.

Most private patients particularly on plans will see a hygienist at least every 6 months and some more often. That's because we concentrate on preventing disease and since 90% of the population have some signs of gum disease and most people will lose teeth to this rather than decay it's a worthwhile investment .

For younger folk quite often it's cosmetic getting rid of the stains caused by tea, coffee and naughty habits.