Nhs dental scale & polish/checkup

jm356

ps
you say "Fortunately, following a conversation with PALS, it has been confirmed that if my dentist deems root planing as necessary, like he said to me, then he should provide root planing on the NHS, and whether the hygienist provides it or the the dentist, I should not incur an aditional private cost."

However, there most definately is an extra cost- it is £30 and equate to the difference between band 1 treatment and band 2 treatment cost.

paulmapp8306

I wish I had these problems. Im going to struggle to FIND a dentist that will take me on the NHS

welshdent

gracesophia wrote: »

NHS dentists are required to do a check up and give you a scale and polish as part of one appointment at the basic rate, but they often try and scam you and make you come back for a separate appointment with a hygienist. You just need to stand up to them and say that you want it all in one go (but I know that's easier said than done - I'm lucky to have finally found a good dentist!)

Thats not actually correct. A dentist is not required to give you a scale and polish as part of the appointment or a more accurate phrase ... course of treatment.

What they are REQUIRED to do is an examination and advise on what is clinically necessary. You do not get a free scale and polish. We provide a scaling if necessary but if people request to see the hygienist they are quite entitled to but she is private. No one is denied anything and you would be amazed at how many prefer her to me!!

NurseMoneySaver1122

jm356 wrote: »

ps
you say "Fortunately, following a conversation with PALS, it has been confirmed that if my dentist deems root planing as necessary, like he said to me, then he should provide root planing on the NHS, and whether the hygienist provides it or the the dentist, I should not incur an aditional private cost."

However, there most definately is an extra cost- it is £30 and equate to the difference between band 1 treatment and band 2 treatment cost.

I understand that thank you; I stated that myself in my earlier posts on page 1

NurseMoneySaver1122

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

I wish I had these problems. Im going to struggle to FIND a dentist that will take me on the NHS

Apologies if I am stating what you already know, but I found this on NHS Choices website which may help you find one (http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/dentists/Pages/overview.aspx...:)
Finding an NHS dentist

Whether you need urgent treatment or just a check-up, if you're having difficulty finding an NHS dentist, you can call the dental access helpline for your local primary care trust (PCT). In addition you can also:

• Use the Find and choose services option on this site and do a postcode search for local dentists. You can also search for your local PCT to find the number of the dental access helpline.
• Text 'dentist' to 64746 or 'NHSGO' from your mobile phone. We’ll send you up to three text messages with the results that are nearest to your location from the area where you need a dentist. Learn more about NHS Choices mobile.
• Or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

Shortages of NHS dental care exist in some places but NHS services are growing steadily and there is a continued NHS commitment to improving access.
Independent patient survey figures published by the Department of Health in December 2010 show that, nationally, 59% of adults tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years, and of these 93% were successful. The success rate was higher for shorter periods: 96% for 3 or 6 months; and 95% for 12 months

brook2jack

Have you actually seen the dentist yet ClaireM? Unfortunately a receptionist who is not a dentist,hasn't seen you and appears to have a hazy concept of gum disease and treatment has spoken to you. The information she gave appears not to be of the best.

The best informed decision you can make about your health will be based on discussion with someone who has actually seen inside your mouth and provided a treatment plan that you will be asked to consent to. Based on the information you have given it would appear this has not happened yet.

The decision to perform any sort of hygiene treatment on the nhs is not based on the appearence of tartar or even of bleeding but of signs of disease such as pocketing eg spaces developing between gum and tooth.

98% of the British public have some signs of gum disease eg bleeding . The bald statistics are that scaling and polishing have very little or no health benefit according to government research. Why, because within 72 hours the calculus starts to reform unless the patients cleaning is more effective. So according to the government audit office we have had generations of people having a scale and polish every six months which has left their teeth clean for 72 hours only each time as they do not make the changes eg using floss, tepe brushes or better tooth brushing techniques that would improve their gum health without a scale and polish.

So number one priority is to start using floss and or tepe brushes and if you have not already been take your floss and toothbrush with you to the dentist to check your techniques and make sure your toothbrush is the right size etc. Ask to be shown if tepe brushes are appropriate and how to use them. These are the things that will help your dental health.

NurseMoneySaver1122

brook2jack wrote: »

Have you actually seen the dentist yet ClaireM? Unfortunately a receptionist who is not a dentist,hasn't seen you and appears to have a hazy concept of gum disease and treatment has spoken to you. The information she gave appears not to be of the best.

The best informed decision you can make about your health will be based on discussion with someone who has actually seen inside your mouth and provided a treatment plan that you will be asked to consent to. Based on the information you have given it would appear this has not happened yet.

The decision to perform any sort of hygiene treatment on the nhs is not based on the appearence of tartar or even of bleeding but of signs of disease such as pocketing eg spaces developing between gum and tooth.

98% of the British public have some signs of gum disease eg bleeding . The bald statistics are that scaling and polishing have very little or no health benefit according to government research. Why, because within 72 hours the calculus starts to reform unless the patients cleaning is more effective. So according to the government audit office we have had generations of people having a scale and polish every six months which has left their teeth clean for 72 hours only each time as they do not make the changes eg using floss, tepe brushes or better tooth brushing techniques that would improve their gum health without a scale and polish.

So number one priority is to start using floss and or tepe brushes and if you have not already been take your floss and toothbrush with you to the dentist to check your techniques and make sure your toothbrush is the right size etc. Ask to be shown if tepe brushes are appropriate and how to use them. These are the things that will help your dental health.

Thank you for your kind and informative reply

I LOVE the idea of the tepe brushes. However my problem is, the tartar build up at the back of my teeth is such that I cannot floss between them and I find a similar problem with tepe brushes.

So I'm kind of in a catch 22...the decision to perform hygiene treatment on the NHS, as you say, is not based on the appearance of tartar but on signs of gum disease eg pocketing (which I must add, I am not complaining about). However the presence of tartar is restricting me from improving my oral hygiene routine (namely interdental cleaning). Therefore, unless I have such signs of gum disease, my dentist will advise me to go to their hygienist at an additional private cost, which unfortunately I cannot at this time afford. So back to square one for me

My own fault for not going to the dentist in 4 years...but fear is a very powerful thing :eek:

Thank you once again for your advice!!

kimmy4scooby

Dear Claire, hope the appointment with the dentist goes well! As a dental professional please let me give you the following advice, the dentist may offer a scale as part your check-up under band 1 but do consider that he/she will only have the time slot of your appt to perform the scale. As you have not been to the dentist in 4 years and therefore likely haven't had your teeth professionally cleaned in that time it is likely you will have alot of build-up/hard deposit/tartar/calculus, whatever you want to call it! Lol
Many patient will benefit from a hygienist appointment as usually there is a complete 30 minutes set aside for your appointment, the hygienist may give you oral hygiene advice, how to clean then teeth and if a deep clean is required this can be carried out.
Remember a thorough clean allows for a blank canvas for you to maintain i.e. by starting use of interdental aids(tepes, floss) and brushing effectively.
Hope this helps and have fun at the dentist!:)

1234qwer

I think this is a perfect grey area that some dentists use to take advantage.

I tend to have a build up of tartare on the back of some of my teeth and every time I go to the dentist I get it cleaned off as part of the band 1 NHS scale and polish.

I've recently moved areas and registered with a new local dentist who I saw today. This is one of those glossy private practices (who do all sorts of cosmetic dentisty - including Botox of all things). I however, went as an NHS patient.

It started so well, I had a check up, they even checked my gums which they never do and I thought wow what a great place. The dentist then pointed out this build up on my teeth, but instead of the normal response of "let's just clean that off" she said "you'll have to see the hygienist". I thought she meant that for some reason she didn't clean it herself but there was someone else at that practice who did this job.

It wasn't until the end when I was told to get up off teh chair that I realised I wasn't going to be getting it cleaned off as usual. I had to pay £47 for band 2 (fair enough as I had a filling), but I was also told to pay an additional £45 to see the hygienist. Well I said I wouldn't do that. And I am now looking for a new dentist.

The honorable dentists will just clean it off as standard, the ones who are out for the profit (like the type that offer botox to their patients!) will do what they can to make you pay.

Fork86

1234qwer wrote: »

I think this is a perfect grey area that some dentists use to take advantage.

I tend to have a build up of tartare on the back of some of my teeth and every time I go to the dentist I get it cleaned off as part of the band 1 NHS scale and polish.

...

The honorable dentists will just clean it off as standard, the ones who are out for the profit (like the type that offer botox to their patients!) will do what they can to make you pay.

If you tend to have calculus build up on your teeth, the honourable dentist will teach you how to brush and floss/tepe properly so that you wont get the build up again, not just blindly clean it off.

There is no evidence that routine scaling and polishing has any health
benefits (Cochrane review 2005). It should therefore not be provided on the NHS.There will be some exceptions such as special needs patients who cannot clean their own teeth or those with adverse anatomy. It will be at the dentist’s discretion as to whether a scale is necessary.

It costs an insane amount to run a dental practice, time is money, and therefore shouldn't be spent doing unnecessary treatments.

I work in an NHS practice that is practically 90% NHS work (obviously unnecessary hygiene treatment, white crowns and fillings on back teeth make up the other 10%), so it's unfair to criticize dentists who don't always perform a scale and polish on the NHS.

Besides, it is breach of contract to provide treatments that are not clinically necessary.