Superdrug's Dental Tooth Kit with scraper just £4.49?

Abbey1991

My dentists' charges £55 for a hygienist appointment - which is more than twice of the price of a check up with the actual dentist!!

But I found this tooth scraper in Superdrug. Is it any good for the casual user?

https://www.superdrug.com/Toiletries/Dental/Interdental-Brushes/Superdrug-Dental-Tool-Kit/p/984259

brook2jack

Strangely enough I went to a lecture yesterday where they had slides showing the damage to roots caused by overzealous scaling with handscalers . This included teeth that needing extracting because of the damage.

So it's a judgement call will you be able to do a good job without damaging yourself with a £4.99 scaler and a hazy view of what you are doing vs a therapist/hygienist who has done a minimum of a three year degree and post graduation training, assisted by a qualified dental nurse , using equipment that cost hundreds of pounds (the inserts for the ultrasonic scaler alone cost upwards of £90) in a chair with a light and mirrors that allows good visualisation of pieces of tartar that are tiny and can be several millimetes under the gums?

You would be better off spending the money on interdental brushes and following the cleaning advice you have been given , as someone who cleans efficiently will not need regular hygienist visits.

brook2jack

Correction the ultrasonic inserts are upwards of £130 , the machine itself costs around £2000.
A hygienist surgery costs From £90 an hour to run .

Abbey1991

Thanks for answering me

brook2jack wrote: »

good visualisation of pieces of tartar that are tiny and can be several millimetes under the gums?

Good point but I wonder why the dentist isn't getting rid of the tartar as part of the check up? unless tartar is just cosmetic?

brook2jack wrote: »

You would be better off spending the money on interdental brushes and following the cleaning advice you have been given , as someone who cleans efficiently will not need regular hygienist visits.

I think that the interdental brushes (which I do use!) only deal with the gaps that can't be seen. Unfortunately I still have some yellow build up on the visible surface of the teeth, so I don't know what I am doing wrong.

brook2jack

Actually if you are using the right size of interdental brush in the right way it stops visible tartar forming.

Tartar is just plaque that has been undisturbed for at least 48 hours. In other words if a brush or interdental brush gets rid of the plaque , even if it's only every two days, you won't get tartar.

Take your brush and interdental brushes next time you go to the hygienist and get them to check how you are using them and check you are using the right size.

couriervanman

Why not go the whole hog and buy the filling kits as well and a black and decker...........seriously though you wont be able to get the back teeth and could well do more damage than good

silvercar

Good point but I wonder why the dentist isn't getting rid of the tartar as part of the check up? unless tartar is just cosmetic?

Sounds like your dentist is referring you to the hygienist to get the tartar removed, so he is sorting the tartar out in the best possible way.

Undervalued

Abbey1991 wrote: »

My dentists' charges £55 for a hygienist appointment - which is more than twice of the price of a check up with the actual dentist!!

But I found this tooth scraper in Superdrug. Is it any good for the casual user?

https://www.superdrug.com/Toiletries/Dental/Interdental-Brushes/Superdrug-Dental-Tool-Kit/p/984259

Are we missing something here?

If this is NHS (less than half of £55 sounds very much like a Band 1 charge) then any medically necessary treatment of this type should be provided. How much the equipment cost and the fact they make a loss out of doing it is not your problem.

However, if it is just cosmetic then yes they can charge whatever private fee they like for a hygienist appointment if you choose to have one.

Toothsmith

Undervalued wrote: »

Are we missing something here?

If this is NHS (less than half of £55 sounds very much like a Band 1 charge) then any medically necessary treatment of this type should be provided. How much the equipment cost and the fact they make a loss out of doing it is not your problem.

However, if it is just cosmetic then yes they can charge whatever private fee they like for a hygienist appointment if you choose to have one.

You're quite right there U.V. If an NHS patient NEEDS treatment of gum disease, then appointments should be made to deal with it either with the dentist or hygienist and that should be covered by either the Band 1, or more likely a Band 2 charge, for however many appointments are needed.

The NHS will not pay to prevent gum disease though. So if gum disease isn't present, a preventative removal of light build up will not be funded.

It is true to say that there is not a rock solid evidence base that regular hygienist visits on people with no gum disease actually helps prevent anything! This is how the NHS has wiggled out of funding it anymore. To get a more solid evidence base though - you'd have to stop regular hygiene appointments on a population who previously got such care, and then carefully observe over several decades. Not a study that could ever really ethically be approved!

But - guess what? The new dental contract of 2006 effectively did this!! So in another decade or so we may well see (That is if anyone has been collecting data - which they haven't!)

So yes - gum disease, you can get it seen to. No gum disease you can chose to pay for a 'cosmetic' clean regularly if you wish.

Gum disease is far easier to keep away that it is to deal with if it sets in though.

Abbey1991

Thank you for your answers.

Do private check-ups include a quick scale and polish?

If so that could well be cheaper than a NHS check up followed by a separate private hygienist appointment.

brook2jack

When you see a dentist privately you pay for the time used. A private check up is just that , it is to check the health of your oral tissues, take x rays or impressions , if necessary , and to discuss your oral health and possible treatment needs.

A straight forward private check up will be fifteen to twenty minutes, a new patient check up at least thirty up to an hour.

A hygiene appointment will be anything from twenty minutes to an hour and , depending on the patients oral health , many appointments may be needed.

As well the the physical cleaning , in fact the most important part , is advice and demonstration of cleaning techniques and aids , so the patient can improve their oral health. Scaling and cleaning does very little to improve oral health , it's what the patient does at home that makes the massive difference.

So no , a private check up will not include a thorough hygiene and oral education treatment.