Dental teeth cleaning 😬

I have a local before cleaning but is still pretty awful. The needles, then the scraping, the water and the gurgling tube in your mouth, also despite the local I get some nerve pain. I intend to tell my dentist to use warm water next time as a poster upthread did.

Whitewavemark2

After this afternoon, I have told my hygienist that I would never crack under torture- obvs after todays experience.

I go every three months usually, but I was ill snd cancelled and then he was ill and cancelled, so it has been 6 months.

I think he was mining for gold!

Well done!!

I just wish he would have a break every so often, but he ploughs on and on, whizzing away and the scrapping, whilst I try to swallow.

The relief when he gets the polishing brush out!

He does do a good job though and is a charming young man with a young family - just had a baby girl.
I just wish I could understand what he is saying!

The worst part for me is trying to breathe! Plus, I find the water makes me want to keep swallowing - even using the suction device. The hygienist is very good though and stops immediately if I raise my hand - Please Miss!

On the subject of dentists are you private or on the NHS, if that is not to private a question?
My DD has worked for the NHS for about the last 15 years and she has been unable to get an appointment in that time, unless she pays privately.
All the dentists in the area do not have waiting lists. Fortunately, her toddler has been accepted by her husband’s childhood one but not her.

I will never forget or forgive Mr Sherwood Mockett, the dentist of my childhood, who gassed me and ripped out my milk teeth to supposedly hasten the arrival of my adult teeth. Barbaric torture that is apparently still performed today. So no-one is scraping my teeth apart from me

I've been through everything you all have and yes the hygienist was more painful than any of the extractions, fillings and abscesses.
Thank goodness I have a full set of dentures although they haven't been plain sailing. The top set I've had years and so comfortable but I ended up having a new top and bottom set made. They were so thick I ended up buying a metal tool to grind them down myself. I went to the dentist yesterday and she's going to get them to fit better. I still prefer my old top set.

I actually like going for a checkup, & just want to go to sleep. The dentist had to give a nudge once.
Hygienist not so much, she’s a little rough.

My new dental hygienist uses sonic cleaning. I found this completely painless. No poking and scraping making your gums bleed. I’m not sure however that my teeth felt as clean although they were.

I'm amazed there isn't more innovative dental care yet. Surely they could come up with a dissolvable tablet that we all could take, that would dissolve plaque build up painlessly. The number of celebs, and many others , who have these unreal looking, perfect veneers which cost thousands is because their teeth are rotten, probably partly due to a fear of having their teeth regularly cleaned. Surely they're going to come up with a less unpleasant way of managing plaque build up.

I give my dog a seaweed supplement called Plaque Off, expensive but effective. I wonder if there is a human equivalent .

There is a Pro-dem plaque off for humans. Apparently same seaweed ingredient that helps control stickiness and plaque build-up. I might try it....hope I don't start barking 😬

Let us know if you do?

Poppyred

I have local anaesthetic before a clean otherwise I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.

I completely understand how you feel. I’m someone who gets nervous about it too, so I can definitely relate!

I refuse to have it done. It was never a thing several years ago. My teeth are healthy for my age and I don't seem to have any plaque. I clean them regularly of course and use those floss stick things. My dentist always asks if I want to see the hygienist and I just politely decline. Too painful!

I'm not sure how new it is... I've been seeing the hygienist for decades. I have Denplan, which I pay monthly £21 which gives me 2 checkups, 2 hygienist and 1 x-ray a year. Anything else and you pay. It's impossible getting an NHS dentist where I live. I don't have sensitive teeth so I don't find it too bad. But I do have mandible jaw pain so I have to ask her to stop a couple of times as my jaw really aches and stiffness. More importantly teeth and gum health is closely related to heart health. It's discussed and backed up in BMJ and many other sources.

anna7

I refuse to have it done. It was never a thing several years ago. My teeth are healthy for my age and I don't seem to have any plaque. I clean them regularly of course and use those floss stick things. My dentist always asks if I want to see the hygienist and I just politely decline. Too painful!

I think sugar, sugary drinks, and other beverages are probably a big part of what affects our teeth. Regular cleaning definitely helps too, but I feel like what we consume plays a pretty big role.

Hygeinists are not a new thing. DH encouraged his nurse to go to university and qualify about 45 years ago. Prior to that, a scale and polish was part of any standard NHS course of treatment.

I do seem to remember the dentist doing a scale and polish occasionally now that you mention it. I don't have a sweet tooth so hopefully that helps. I would have it done I suppose if the dentist insisted it was necessary but I have sensitive teeth and find it really painful.

i've always had bad teeth - a previous dentist once said that working on my teeth was like painting the forth bridge - once he had worked from one side to the other it was time to start again!
no surprise then that i lost tooth after tooth after tooth. and after covid I had to have 5 teeth out and a full denture "on top" and a partial on the bottom.
i'm now waiting for an appointment to have impressions and my last 3 teeth out so I'll have a full denture on the bottom.
i've been on antibiotics long term and i've heard that that's not good for teeth!
i haven't had a "scrape and polish" for years but hated them when i did - it hurt!

Is strange, having an extraction or filling never hurts me but a dental clean always sends the nerves in my teeth zinging!!
Horrid!

An anaesthetic for a clean? Never heard of that. And what on earth is all the grinding going on. What state are the teeth - gums in that need such vicious treatment. I have an appointment next week so going to ask dentist what's going on. Usually have a simple round on the lower jaw of scaling done by hand then an upper and lower jaw round of electric polishing. Takes about 5 mins.

Plevy08
I qualified as a registered dental assistant in 1967. Worked in hospitals and private practice. Couple of years later dental hygienist course came on the scene. Not for me as basically doing scale and polishes in private practices intended to save dentist's time and much cheaper too. Cost paid by NHS for s & p carried out by hygienist was 1/3rd less than dentist. Still not all that popular on NHS. All those comments about "grinding" and needing local anaesthetics are worrying.

I have very sensitive teeth and find the cold water the dentists use when carrying out any procedures agonising. I haven't had them cleaned professionally for some years as I find it so apinful, but I do have twice yearly checkups and he tells me I have a great cleaning routine and don't need the pro clean. I always use a manual extra soft bristle toothbrush and a sensitive toothpaste.

I go to the hygienist every three months so that there is less cleaning to do, she's very gentle and also smears my gums with an anaesthetic gel a couple of minutes before she starts - at no extra charge! She was away for one of my visits and a very brutal dentist did her job, not pleasant.