Dental Hygienist Charges - grounds for complaint?

Toothsmith

givememoney wrote: »

DH was persuaded to have a session and after he lost a filling. Worst of all the dentist charged to put it back in.

If a filling is OK - there is no way that you could get it out with a scaler, even if you tried!

If it hadn't come out when you were with the hygienist, it would have come out pretty soon after. Or - even worse - it would have stayed there despite the seal having failed, and it would only have been when more decay had destroyed more tooth that it would have fallen out!

The hygienist saved you time, trouble and - most importantly - tooth substance by finding that failing filling.

Money_maker

As a heavy smoker & coffee drinker, my trips to the hygienist took a good half an hour. If I go now, I would probably be in and out within 8 minutes as I no longer smoke. The cost is £50 regardless of time spent with her. I will probably go once in a blue moon as my teeth are so much cleaner now.

givememoney

Toothsmith wrote: »

If a filling is OK - there is no way that you could get it out with a scaler, even if you tried!

If it hadn't come out when you were with the hygienist, it would have come out pretty soon after. Or - even worse - it would have stayed there despite the seal having failed, and it would only have been when more decay had destroyed more tooth that it would have fallen out!

The hygienist saved you time, trouble and - most importantly - tooth substance by finding that failing filling.

The filling came out the very next day so I think it speaks for itself. Prior to this he'd had a check up.

Toothsmith

givememoney wrote: »

The filling came out the very next day so I think it speaks for itself. Prior to this he'd had a check up.

Still doesn't prove your point I'm afraid.

For one thing - if a filling is going to fall out - why didn't it do it there and then? Just probability makes it fairly likely that if a filling is going to fall out, then the day after a dental appointment is just as likely a time as any other day of the year!

But - at a check up, you just look around for anything obviously failing. A filling that has just had it's seal fail wouldn't look loose, or even move.

A dentist, at check up, does not put a lot of pressure on every filling just to see if they're on the verge of breaking! He'd get a very bad reputation for hurting people, and 'making work' if they tried it!!

But - the scaler could easily dislodge such a filling.

If - as you imply - this hygienist was too heavy handed - then why did only one filling fall out?

Victoria_Meldrew

I have just had a dental check-up and usually the dentist gives me a scale and polish but she said as I was only booked in for a 5 minute appointment I would need to come back to see the hygienist in four months. Will I be expected to pay extra for this on top of the £18 odd I have already paid? I suspect I will and this is a crafty way of getting more money out of me.