Private dentist for a clean

[Flutterbye]

I have always seen an NHS Dentist.
Where I lived until I was 40 years old the Dentist surgery did not clean my teeth or tell me I needed it done, when I moved to another area I was shocked to hear that I had gum disease. They had a Hygienist available.

That was 8 years ago and since then I have seen the Hygienist every 3 months, as things improved she reduced it to every 6-12 months.
8 years ago I also changed to an electric toothbrush, interdental brushes, dental tape and mouthwash.

I have recently moved to another area and I asked if the Dentist could please clean my teeth and repair a chip in my front tooth, he did not want to do either. Not sure why as I pay for my treatment.

So I looked for another Dentist in the area, the sign outside said "Friendly Receptionists".
I made an appointment for a check up the following week, she did not do repairs herself but passed it onto the Hygienist for a 30 minute appointment. I was out in 15 minutes, worst repair I have ever had (it's my 5th) and the descale lasted literally less than 1 minute.

If I stay there the state of my teeth will deteriorate again.

Do you think I would be able to go to a private dentist for a clean without having to sign up to their surgery, or is it likely that I would need to leave the NHS dentist and sign up fully to the private one?

 

[gentledental]

Hello some practices have a policy that you have to be registered with them in order to receive any services. Others will be quite happy to see you even if you're not registered and go in for the odd hygiene visit. We have a hygienist and she regularly sees non-registered patients who are already registered elsewhere.
I definately would recommend a regular scale and polish and your gums are very important.

 

[carole]

You don't have to see a dentist for a clean although you can if you find one. You can see both nhs and private. If you look for a hygienist they can take care of the cleanings, a lot of dentists don't do cleaning and refer patients onto a hygienist.

If you can find a dentist practice private or nhs that has a hygienist that would be ideal. A dentist surgery I once went to had a hygienist that you paid to see but the dentist was nhs.

I hope this makes sense to you and is a little bit of help

 

[Flutterbye]

Thanks for the replies.

Where I used to live I saw an NHS Dentist and paid the Hygienist at the same NHS surgery for a clean, I was happy to pay for it, great service.

Since moving to another area the NHS Dentist I signed up with does not have a Hygienist and the Dentist said I did not need a clean. It has been over 2 years since they were cleaned properly.

So I enquired at another NHS Dentist and asked if they had a Hygienist, they do so I filled in the form and changed to them

I made an appointment for a check up and tooth chip repair the following week, she did not do repairs herself but passed it onto the Hygienist for a 30 minute appointment. I was out in 15 minutes, worst repair I have ever had (it's my 5th) and the descale lasted literally less than 1 minute. She was also unfriendly and talking to the assistant constantly about their lives etc. I do not ever want to go back to her again.

If I stay there the state of my teeth will deteriorate again.

There is a new private Dentist just opened and their prices are not that bad. I will have to ask if I can try out their Hygienist first.

 

[Spike 1969]

Hello there

Gentledental and Carole are both correct, some dentists will require you to be registered with them to see their hygienist whereas others are happy for you just to use the hygienist if you are registered elsewhere.

I do just that, my reason is that I have a contingency plan should my dentist ever retire as previous experience of being transferred to a "chain" put me off these practices for life and as I am already familiar with the second practice it will make moving across a lot less stressful for me. It also means that I can get a professional clean every 3 months thus helping me maintain my oral health so for me a win win situation.