Can a dentist insist you see a hygienist?

brook2jack

A hygienist is not allowed to diagnose and prescribe treatment.
You yourself already know you have a problem, he had to clean around one of the "stops" and you need regular cleaning albeit alot less at your nhs dentist.Obviously it would be beneficial for you to learn improved oral hygiene techniques before your retainers are fitted. It is not just about cleaning as said above tartar reforms after 72 hours so if you do not take the correct steps 72 hours after you have your teeth cleaned tartar already has started to reform. Once you have retainers you will have to use a different type of floss and technique to clean around the retainers.

This really feels like a trust issue now, why are you trusting this dentist to diagnose and provide the correct brace work but not to prescribe preventative work. How much of that £50 or £80 do you think will end up in his pocket? Enough to recommend treatment that is not necessary?

j.e.j.

Rella wrote: »

I'm having a cosmetic procedure (inman aligner) done with a private dentist, which I've paid for upfront. I also see an NHS dentist (who I've had for a couple of years) for normal checkups. Today I saw my private dentist and when I got back to reception to make the next appointment the receptionist said he'd sent a message that I needed to make a hygienist appointment. The dentist hadn't mentioned it to me although he did have to clean a bit of plaque off but nothing major. I was in a hurry so (stupidly) didn't query it and booked the hygienist appointment.

However I've now checked on their website what the cost would be and it says between £50 and £80 for a hygienist visit which I'm not willing to pay. I don't believe that I need the hygienist because I saw my NHS dentist a few weeks back and he did a quick descale (one tooth - much less than on previous visits) and then said that I didn't need to keeping coming back every 6 months because I was getting much better at keeping them clean, so a year would be fine. I've no fillings and my teeth look fine to me scale-wise although the cosmetic dentist put a "stop" on one incisor 2 weeks ago which I am having a bit of trouble cleaning around - it was there that he cleaned today.

Can the dentist refuse to finish the cosmetic procedure if I won't see the hygienist? I'm worried they will do this but I feel a bit railroaded into it. Either my private dentist is trying to get some more money out of me or my NHS dentist didn't clean them very well.

Just coming at it from a slightly different perspective (yes, the tone of some of the replies above is quite irritating, and your question about whether or not he can decline to treat you if you refuse to go to his hygienist wasn't answered. I suspect it's ultimately up to the dentist?)

£50-£80 IS a lot of money and IMHO should have been explained to you as 'part of the treatment' beforehand.

If your treatment hasn't started yet is it possible for you to get your money back and go elsewhere, if you suspect this guy is asking you to attend for treatment that isn't necessary. If not you might just have to bite the bullet and go to his hygienist, but it might be worth asking about whether you're then going to have any other hidden extras sprung on you at a later stage.

brook2jack

Op has said they are some way into treatment, in fact is under the impression they are almost finished .... A disasterous time to swap to another orthodontist!!!

The big problem seems to be both the orthodontist and posters here don't seem to be putting our message across. Yes the orthodontist should have mentioned an additional charge but we all forget things.

The point is the op has a history of needing tartar removed from teeth. Now a new stop has been applied to a tooth they are having a problem cleaning there too. They will have retainers which will be more difficult again to clean.

What is the responsible thing for the orthodontist to do? Ignore this,finish treatment and fit the retainers without ensuring the teeth and gums are healthy. As toothsmith says we've all seen teeth wrecked when braces have been continued when cleaning is not as good as it should be.

In our local hospital orthodontic clinic all patients are sent to the hygienist because the education in cleaning techniques is so important.

Op cannot clean the stop properly, isn't it better they are taught how to ie being preventative rather than waiting for damage to occur?
Yes there is a charge for this education and this should have been explained but the alternative is to leave op struggling on and in time her teeth or gums paying the price.

The difficulty is I suspect op resents paying as much for the orthodontic treatment and doesn't trust the orthodontist. In such large scale treatment it is essential that you trust the clinician and if you don't find someone else BEFORE you start treatment because trying to swap dentists mid treatment is a situation no one likes and rarely ends up happily for all parties.